Winter hawk | Facts & Information

Origin

In Central and Western Europe, the winter Falcon is a transit Bird, and on the coasts it is a winter visitor. It rarely occurs on indoor surfaces, but in milder winters it can be observed on lowland Meadows and near Reeds.The winter Hawk is the smallest day bird in Europe. It is a daring and skillful hunter who catches smaller birds flying fast at low altitude.

It frequently misleads sighted birds: it mimics their flight, and thus approaches them unnoticed. After this it suddenly accelerates and catches the surprised Bird close to the ground.

The winter Hawk broods from Iceland, Scotland and Northern Europe to eastern Siberia, as well as Alaska, Canada and Newfoundland. The birds overwinter in Central and Eastern Europe, Northern Africa, the Near East, China, Western and southern United States, Central America and northern South America.

The winter Falcon in other countries is known as Merlin's bird (Merlin bird).

Winter Falcon feed

About 90 percent of Winter Hawks ' food is made up of small birds. They hunt many species of songbirds as well as aquatic birds, such as the shorebird, common snipe and red-footed Whistler.

They also catch small yellow-headed ausei, but also green woodpeckers, which are 32 centimeters long, have dimensions approximately equal to that of the female Winter Falcon. The birds sometimes also consume chiteam, field mice, lemmings, bats, dragonflies, beetles and butterflies.

The winter Falcon usually hunts alone, and sometimes with a pair: the birds sit at a low height in an observation place, and if they notice a possible prey, they follow it.

If they fail to catch it at first they chase it at low altitude, then fly over it, and finally catch it. Although it is an "insistent" Bird, The Winter Hawk is rarely successful in hunting.

Features Winter Falcon

The male has a grey-blue back and a rusty-red neck. The rusty-colored abdomen is adorned by elongated, dark spots. The eyes are large and provide excellent vision.

It has wide wings at the base and with a pointed tip, and the bird strikes quickly with these, with little amplitude. Unlike other daytime Raptors, the winter Hawk rarely hovers over short distances. During the hunt they fly a meter high above the ground.

The eggs are light brown and show pale or dark red-rust spots.

The body length is 25-30cm and the wingspan is 55-65cm. The weight of the male is 160-180g, and of the female 190-220g. they are usually lonely birds. The sounds emitted are like" chi-chi-chi".

The winter Hawk can often be seen flying rapidly and low above the ground. In the northern regions it prefers open surfaces, where it can study the surroundings from an observation site, from a small height, in North America it can be found in the Rocky Mountains, where it surveys the surroundings on the headlands of the rocks.

During the hatching period it can be observed on empty flat surfaces and in swampy ones, as well as in northern birch forests. In winter the birds migrate south. In this flight the groups are made up of two to three birds.

Until spring the winter Hawk lives on flat cultivated areas and in open valleys, and in addition it frequently stays in swamps near the coast and in the low-tide zone, as well as on sand dunes.

Breeding Winter Falcon

In early April, when the Winter Hawks arrive at the brooding sites, the males show a nuptial flight. They fly slowly flapping their wings to attract females.

If a female enters the territory of a male, the birds fly side by side, and then dive into the void and chase each other. The couple's relationship lasts a hatching season.

The pair look for a suitable place to brood on the ground or in a tree, and sometimes on the headland of a rock at the edge of an open space. The nest is represented by a simple hollow.

Pairs frequently occupy the nest of other birds, such as crows. The female lays her four to five eggs at intervals of two days, and these are hatched by both parents for a month. The female hatches about two-thirds of the time, and during this time is fed by the male.

Initially the Cubs are protected by the female, during which the male hunts. The male brings food to the nest daily, three to six times. Prey is frequently represented by the Young of waterfowl or other birds, such as Meadow flycatchers.

After 18 days, when the chicks have fully developed plumage, the female also goes hunting. After a month the chicks can already leave the nest to take food from their parents, but stay near it for another month, and then become independent.