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I saw a group of about 30 hawks roosting in an open field this morning. They were all spaced out about 50' apart. My guess is they were migrating, but I can't imagine why they would roost this way when there were trees nearby. I don't know what species they were. I'm located in SW, OK.
How far away were they? Are you sure that they were hawks and not Turkey Vultures? Turkey Vultures would be more likely to be on the ground, but anything is possible. It would be rather unusual for most hawk species to be on he ground like that.
How far away were they? Are you sure that they were hawks and not Turkey Vultures? Turkey Vultures would be more likely to be on the ground, but anything is possible. It would be rather unusual for most hawk species to be on he ground like that.
That's what I was thinking as well and birds of prey are generally not social.
Me too on the turkey vultures. Look them up and see if that is what you saw. One scene I regret not having my camera for is the horaltic pose (wing spread) of four turkey vultures on a country fence outside a big field. Looked quite something.
Swainson's Hawks and Ferruginous Hawks are other (less likely) possibilities, as both of those species are plains dwellers and do spend a significant amount of time on the ground.
Swainson's Hawks and Ferruginous Hawks are other (less likely) possibilities, as both of those species are plains dwellers and do spend a significant amount of time on the ground.
Yes they do, but grouped together? Not too likely, even when staging for migration. Marsh hawks can also nest/spend time on the ground, but again, not in a group.
My research has suggested two possibilities:
One is they had roosted in nearby trees, and had taken to the ground to dry their wings.
Another is hawks are afraid of owls, and felt safer roosting on the ground.
The oddest thing is the way they were spaced out evenly on the ground. This suggests some sort of mating ritual. I will keep looking for answers.
Turkey vultures do like open space. They like farmland...avoid urban sort of areas. They do like their carrion. That was one thing they enjoyed about the narrow road alongside the field where we saw them. They have a good sense of smell too. I wonder if that's why we haven't seen them in a while. Probably not enough good dead things around here for them.
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