Who is the Swainson's Hawk? Buteo Swainsoni photos courtesy of Swainson's Hawk TAC
|
Friends of the Swainsons Hawk is dedicated to the survival and recovery of the California Sacramento/Central Valley population of Swainsons Hawk. We want to see this population flourishing in our region for all the generations to come. The California population numbers between 700 and 1,000 breeding pairs, roughly 10 percent of the historic population. Our region's Swainson's Hawk population numbers less than 1,000 and is vulnerable to extinction in California, due primarily to habitat loss. It is concentrated in Yolo, Sacramento and San Joaquin Counties and has no known interaction with other populations. Click on FAQ for more information about Swainson's Hawks. Most of the worlds Swainsons Hawks nest outside of California and migrate to South America each year. This population is referred to as the Great Basin or Great Plains Swainsons Hawk population. You can find lots ofinformation on this population of 450,000 plus hawks on the web. They do not breed with California Swainson's Hawks, nor do they winter in the same locations.
Wildlife biologists in the Sacramento area, including Mike Bradbury, Jim Estep and Dick Anderson have tracked migratory patterns by outfitting hawks with satellite transmitters. This group, and their colleagues collectively known as the Swainson's Hawk Technical Advisory Committee, have made available information, photographs and diagrams on this and linked pages. The most recent migration study --Owen's Valley-- is described in the link below. Summary of
migration study results from Mike Bradbury, 1999. Map of nesting range in Central California, courtesy of Swainson's Hawk TAC |
| Home |