The winter months are a great time to view raptors in Williamson County. While some raptors live here throughout the year, many raptors migrate and spend the cold months in Central Texas.
The red-tailed hawk is the most common raptor seen in Williamson County and is also the most common hawk in North America. It is a buteo with a large body and broad wings. There are many color morphs, but mature red-tails have an obvious red tail. However, the juveniles do not. Red-tails are often seen perched on utility posts and the tops of trees. They may also be seen soaring high above open fields. In flight, black patagial markings on the leading edge of the wing and ‘commas’ on the wings and a bellyband on a large raptor are field marks for red tailed hawks. There are many color variations from very light to very dark. Red-tail hawks can be seen year round, but the numbers are higher in the winter.
The American kestrel visits Central Texas in the winter and is absent the rest of the year. Only 9 inches tall, they are North America’s smallest falcon. They can be seen around Hutto perched on the utility wires. The males have a slate blue head and wings with a rufous back and tail. Females have rufous wings, back and tail. Both males and females have boldly patterned faces with dark vertical lines on the face. One of the behavioral cues is a habitual bobbing of the tail when perched.
Northern harriers (pictured) soar over the pastures and fields around Hutto during the winter months. Harriers are the single species in their genus. They spend their summers in the northern states and Canada. The white patch on the rump is a key field mark for identification. Males have gray feathers on top of their wings and backs, with white underneath and black wingtips. Females are brown with boldly barred secondary wings and a streaked body. Both male and females have barring on their long tails. Juvenile harriers have a beautiful rusty copper colored body. They are most commonly seen flying low over marshy or grassland areas. The facial shape resembles an owl allowing it to hear mice and other small mammals hiding under the vegetation.
The sharp shinned hawk and the Cooper’s hawk also visit Hutto during the winter. They are very similar species sometimes hard to differentiate. Sharp shinned are smaller, dove sized, and the tip of the tail is squared. Cooper’s hawks are larger with a rounded tail that may have a white tip. These accipiters are very agile fliers commonly seen near bird feeders. They can fly easily through a forest or even through a thorny rosebush in search of small birds. Sharp shinned hawks are smaller and dove sized.
Red shouldered hawks are year round residents. The adults have a solid orange body with distinctive red patches on their shoulders. Juveniles have a more barred body, but sill have that distinctive red coloring on their head and wing patches. Red-shouldered hawks are found more frequently in wooded areas near water. They eat reptiles, amphibians, small mammals, and some birds.
In the owl family, great horned owls, barred owls, barn owls, and screech owls are year- long residents in Hutto. Owls are more often heard than seen. The great horned owl has a very distinctive “hoot” call. Barred owls have a higher pitched call that sounds like “Who cooks, who cooks for you all.” Barn owls often sound like a woman screaming.
While many raptors are seen and heard around Hutto, the county roads north of Lake Granger are an excellent place to see raptors. Prairie falcons, merlins, burrowing owls and short-eared owls are regularly seen during the winter months.
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