Boy or Girl? Understanding How Red-Tailed Hawks Migrate
Researchers and students collaborate on a study to explore the
migration patterns of male and female red-tailed hawks in
upstate New York June 24, 2011 As any resident of upstate New
York will tell you, the red-tailed hawk is the most common hawk
in North America. Often seen perched on light and telephone
poles along major highways, this majestic animal is one of the
most widely recognized raptor species. At the same time, there
is relatively little known about the populations of this avian
giant, a top predator that can be found from Alaska to Maine,
and as far south as Panama. In 2003, scientists at Finger Lakes
Community College and Braddock Bay Raptor Research (BBRR) began
asking questions about the migration patterns that they were
observing during BBRR's annual hawk watch and banding program.
BBRR is a "hot spot" for both bird watchers and research
scientists. Every year, thousands of hawks migrate through this
region, only a 25-minute drive northw