apriavalenza
Red-tailed Hawk!
On Tuesday I captured this picture of a red-tailed hawk flying over McNeil Hall! The red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) is the most common type of hawk in North America. It stays in much of North America year round. The most common coloring pattern of these birds match this UNCW resident as it has a pale under belly with a cinnamon tail and a dark black coloring on its shoulders. When I took this picture, this guy was flying at branch-height and landed on the nearest tree. He then soared in the air and I was able to get this shot. I imagine he was lying in wait of a squirrel to scurry up the tree, and then took to the air to see if he could find any a bit quicker. Small mammals are the primary food source of these amazing birds. Animals like mice, wood rats, rabbits and squirrels are the red-tailed hawk's main prey. (I can also imagine that this hawk is feeding quite well as the squirrels on campus are pretty safe - their only predators are hawks and the occasional truck...) Red-tailed hawks also love to build their nests in super tall trees so they can have a nice view of the landscape around them. (This hawk lives in the tall trees in the little forest in between Tri-House!) The Red-tailed hawk is a carnivore and a predator, at the top of its food chain. I never really thought of the UNCW campus to have such a biodiversity of amazing animals!
Red-tailed Hawk!
On Tuesday I captured this picture of a red-tailed hawk flying over McNeil Hall! The red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) is the most common type of hawk in North America. It stays in much of North America year round. The most common coloring pattern of these birds match this UNCW resident as it has a pale under belly with a cinnamon tail and a dark black coloring on its shoulders. When I took this picture, this guy was flying at branch-height and landed on the nearest tree. He then soared in the air and I was able to get this shot. I imagine he was lying in wait of a squirrel to scurry up the tree, and then took to the air to see if he could find any a bit quicker. Small mammals are the primary food source of these amazing birds. Animals like mice, wood rats, rabbits and squirrels are the red-tailed hawk's main prey. (I can also imagine that this hawk is feeding quite well as the squirrels on campus are pretty safe - their only predators are hawks and the occasional truck...) Red-tailed hawks also love to build their nests in super tall trees so they can have a nice view of the landscape around them. (This hawk lives in the tall trees in the little forest in between Tri-House!) The Red-tailed hawk is a carnivore and a predator, at the top of its food chain. I never really thought of the UNCW campus to have such a biodiversity of amazing animals!