Harris’s hawks (Parabuteo unicinctus) are medium-sized hawks that are native to the Americas. Their range extends from the southwestern United States to Chile and central Argentina. Here is a closer look at where these fascinating raptors can be found in the wild.
Range in the United States
In the United States, Harris’s hawks are found primarily in the desert Southwest. Their range includes southeastern California, southern Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, western Texas, and southwestern Utah. Within this region, they tend to inhabit arid to semi-arid habitats such as desert grasslands, chaparral, and scrublands. A few pairs have also been spotted in areas of Colorado, Oklahoma, and Kansas.
Some key locations where Harris’s hawks can be observed in the U.S. include:
- Sonoran and Mojave Deserts of Arizona
- Chihuahuan Desert of New Mexico and Texas
- Canyonlands of Utah
- Joshua Tree National Park in California
The Harris’s hawk population in the United States has been estimated at around 12,000 breeding pairs. Their numbers seem to be generally stable, though some local declines have been noted in California and Texas.
Range in Mexico
Harris’s hawks can be found across much of mainland Mexico. They occur in suitable habitats throughout the northern and central parts of the country, from the Baja California peninsula east to Tamaulipas state and south to Guerrero state. Their range also extends into the Balsas River basin in the southern part of Mexico.
Some key locations where they have been documented in Mexico include:
- Baja California peninsula
- Sonoran Desert region
- Chihuahuan Desert region
- Central Mexican Plateau
- Coahuila and Nuevo León states
Harris’s hawk numbers have not been extensively surveyed in Mexico. However, they are described as being fairly common to abundant in suitable habitat across their Mexican range.
Range in Central America
The range of Harris’s hawks extends through Central America from Mexico south to Panama. They occur in both the Pacific and Caribbean lowlands from sea level up to about 2000 meters in elevation.
Some areas where they can be found in Central America include:
- Pacific coast of Guatemala
- Caribbean coast of Nicaragua
- Guanacaste province in Costa Rica
- Azuero Peninsula in Panama
In Central America, Harris’s hawks occupy dry forest, scrub, pastureland, and other open habitats. Population size is unknown but they are described as uncommon to fairly common throughout their Central American distribution.
Range in South America
The range of Harris’s hawks extends south into South America as far as central Argentina. They are found widely but patchily distributed across the following countries:
- Colombia
- Venezuela
- Ecuador
- Peru
- Bolivia
- Chile
- Argentina
In these countries, Harris’s hawks occupy dry forests, savanna, scrubland, agricultural areas, and other open habitats primarily at lower elevations. Some key locations include:
- Llanos grasslands of Venezuela and Colombia
- Marañón valley in Peru
- Beni savanna in Bolivia
- Atacama Desert in Chile
- Pampas grasslands in Argentina
Harris’s hawk populations have not been extensively assessed across South America. They are described as fairly common in suitable habitat in Colombia and Venezuela. Their numbers farther south are more poorly known but they are thought to be generally uncommon to rare.
Elevation
Throughout their range in the Americas, Harris’s hawks are primarily found at lower elevations. They occur from sea level up to about 2500 m, but are most common below 1500 m. Their elevation limits are:
- United States: sea level to around 1800 m
- Mexico: sea level to 2500 m
- Central America: sea level to 2000 m
- South America: sea level to 2500 m
At higher elevations, they tend to be replaced by other species such as red-tailed hawks and red-shouldered hawks.
Favored Habitats
Harris’s hawks occupy a variety of open and semi-open habitats throughout their range, including:
- Desert
- Scrubland
- Chaparral
- Grassland
- Savanna
- Agricultural areas
- Riparian corridors
- Open woodland
Common habitat features include scattered trees for nesting and perching and open areas for hunting. They usually avoid dense forest but may sometimes forage along forest edges. In many areas, Harris’s hawks have adapted well to human-altered environments and can often be seen in ranches, pastures, and fields.
Territory Size
Harris’s hawks are unusual among raptors in that they live in social groups and cooperatively defend a joint territory. An average group contains 5 birds and occupies a breeding territory of about 50-150 square km. However, some groups can range over 350 square km or more in the nonbreeding season.
Territory size can vary based on habitat type and prey availability. Groups in dense populations with abundant prey may have smaller territories. Those in arid areas with lower prey density typically have larger ranges.
Migration
Harris’s hawks living in the northern parts of their range in the U.S. and Mexico are partially migratory. Northern populations breed during the summer months and then migrate south for the winter. The migration begins in September with most birds leaving the U.S. by November.
Their wintering grounds extend from the southern U.S. through Mexico into Central America. Birds return to their northern breeding areas beginning in February. The timing and distance of migration depends on the location of an individual’s breeding territory.
In contrast, populations farther south in Central and South America appear to be non-migratory and reside year-round on their breeding territories.
Distribution Summary
In summary, here are some key facts about the distribution and habitat use of Harris’s hawks:
- Occur through the Americas from the SW United States to Argentina
- In the U.S., found in the desert Southwest
- In Mexico, range across northern and central regions
- Occur through Central America into northern South America
- Prefer open habitats like desert, grassland, savanna
- Primarily found at lower elevations, below 1500 m
- Northern populations are migratory, southern groups are non-migratory
Harris’s hawks have a wide distribution across the Americas and occupy diverse open environments. Their range extends over 5,500 km from the deserts of Arizona down to the grasslands of Argentina. Within this expansive range, they have adapted to habitats ranging from barren desert to tropical dry forest. This adaptability likely explains how Harris’s hawks have managed to thrive across such an enormous area of the Americas.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Harris’s hawks occupy a large swath of the Americas in open, arid to semi-arid environments. Their range stretches from the southwestern U.S. through Mexico and Central America south to Chile and Argentina. Within this expansive distribution, Harris’s hawks inhabit deserts, grasslands, scrublands, savannas, and agricultural areas primarily at lower elevations up to 2500 m. Northern populations migrate seasonally, while those farther south appear to be year-round residents. The adaptability of Harris’s hawks allows them to thrive across diverse habitats and an enormous geographic area spanning over 5,500 km from the Sonoran Desert to the Argentine Pampas.