Harris's Hawk at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

Harris's Hawk — Species Information

Species common name: Harris's hawk
Latin name: Parabuteo unicinctus
Order, family: Accipitridae, Falconiformes
Range, habitat: Southern Arizona, east to South Texas. All the way down through South America. Found in arid lowland and arid montane scrub, low seasonally wet grassland, tropical deciduous forest and urban areas of some cities.
Weight: 600-1300 g
Wingspan: 103-124 cm
Length: 46-59 cm
Lifespan: Wild, 8-10; captivity 25-35
Clutch, nest: 2-6, cup shaped nest in top fork of large trees. Also uses saguaros.
Predators: Great horned owls may eat roosting adults or nestlings. Eagles may harass adults.
Prey: Diet is regionally specific; mostly small/medium mammals, medium birds, etc. Urban populations can be quite adept at catching pigeons.

Harris's are one of only two truly cooperative hunters in the raptor world. They will live in pairs in the tropical areas, or places where prey is abundant; in areas like the Sonoran desert where prey has a lot of good cover, they have been documented in groups as large as 9 birds. They will act like 'wolves of the air', taking turns harrying a rabbit or squirrel, chasing it out of cover towards other family members, etc.