Swainson's Hawk Chick II

An orphaned Swainson's Hawk chick. This individual is being raised by an older Swainson's Hawk foster mother at a raptor rehabilitation center.

The Swainson's Hawk is a threatened species in California, hit hard by the use of DDT and other pesticides. Even after DDT was banned in the United States, the species continued to struggle due to Argentina's heavy use of DDT. Swainson's Hawks breed in North America during the spring and summer, but return to South America for the fall and winter. While in South America, their diet consists almost entirely of large flying insects. They like following behind agricultural tractors to snatch up the grasshoppers that fly into the air. Swainson's Hawks have a long, narrow wingspan and delicate feet compared to other members of the genus Buteo, the "soaring hawks."

Edit: Successfully released