Every autumn, thousands of migrating Red-tailed Hawks arrive on the
southern Great Plains to spend the winter, and Oklahoma is one of
the best places to observe this amazing phenomenon. Above the
prairie, as Oscar Hammerstein wrote, they make ""lazy circles in
the sky,"" but not for entertainment, theirs or ours. Author Jim
Lish draws on more than forty years' experience as a professional
biologist and ornithologist to present almost two hundred color
photographs of Red-tails and relate important lessons in southern
Great Plains biodiversity, underscoring the place of the Red-tailed
Hawk in Oklahoma's tallgrass prairie ecology. Winter's Hawk
introduces the reader to the hawk's biology, social behavior, and
useful role in limiting destructive rodent populations. In sharing
many anecdotes from his long experience in the field, Lish
describes the hunting techniques of Red-tails, their competition
with other raptors, and their behavior in the presence of human
observers. He describes the subtle differences in plumage, and
other characteristics between the various subspecies of Red-tailed
Hawks that winter here. His account of their behavior includes
intergenerational warfare, in which young Red-tails are frequently
the losers. Detailed and scientifically accurate, this informal,
jargon-free account will appeal to birders, sportsmen, naturalists,
and falconers, as well as biologists. Red-tails can see ultraviolet
light, which enables them to easily locate trails left by rodents.
Cotton rats are by far their most important winter food, but they
also eat carrion, large snakes, medium-sized mammals, and smaller
birds. The main motive for the birds' behavior, Lish reminds us, is
survival, and he includes birds'-eye views of the hazards Red-tails
face: foot injuries, damage to feathers, starvation, electrocution,
and illegal shooting. A treasure trove of rich descriptive writing
and astonishing photographs, Winter's Hawk inspires readers to help
preserve these magnificent birds of prey so that future generations
may see a Red-tail standing sentinel over a field or circling above
it.
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