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Everyone listen up, this young Broad-winged Hawk has a big announcement: “I can fly!” ![]()
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It is officially fledgling season for the Broad-winged Hawks in Minnesota. Over the last week, many of the nestlings that we’ve been monitoring all summer have ventured out of their nests and into the sky for the first time! We wish them luck as they get the hang of their wings, start sharpening their hunting instincts, and prepare to undertake their very first migration in a few short months. As these youngsters figure out how to be Broad-winged Hawks over the next few weeks, their parents will continue to watch over them and lend a helping talon--bringing them prey and defending them from predators. ![]()
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With the breeding season coming to a close, we are excited to report some of the outcomes of our efforts: We were able to locate a total of 13 nests in Minnesota. Of those nests, 10 were able to be closely monitored, producing a total of 22 young between them! We were also able to deploy 3 tracking devices on adults. This is a great result for the Central Broad-winged Hawk Project, and we are already learning so much!![]()
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Suddenly seeing clumsy, vocal Broad-wings in your neck of the woods? We want to know! Shoot us an email, or fill out the survey on our website. And thank you to everyone who already sent in reports of their Broad-winged Hawk detections this summer! ![]()
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Thank you to the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union for support through their Savaloja Fund and to all the individual donors and supports who made this work possible.
Did you know? American kestrels can be reliably sexed as early as 14 days old! American kestrels exhibit sexual dimorphism, meaning the females and males have different plumages. For many raptors, the feathers they grow before leaving the nest are often browner or streakier than the adults of their species. But with kestrels, the young take to the sky for the first time with the same striking patterns as their parents! It’s this combination which allows us to distinguish between the females and males at such a young age. Fun Fact! This year 47% of our nestlings were female while 53% were male.![]()
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This photo, featuring two young kestrels, shows a comparison of the flight feathers of the female (left) and the male (right). The female’s wings are rusty brown with heavy black barring, while the male (right) has bluish, slate gray feathers with black. If you look closely, you can also see that the female has a similar pattern of barring on her tail, while the male will grow a rusty brown tail with a band of black at the tip.
We are so excited to be collaborating on the Broad-winged Hawk Project! Meet the first two birds of the project and stay tuned to learn more about them and where they migrate this fall.![]()
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Thanks to the The Minnesota Ornithologists' Union - MOU and all of our individual donors for the support!
See the number, speed, direction, and altitude of the birds cruising through the darkness on spring and fall nights by visiting BirdCast.
