Red-Tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis
Case 1
Brancher cared for at substitute nest in tree adjacent to active nest containing sibling
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A young brancher Red-tailed Hawk was found on the
ground on the Birmingham Country Club Golf Course in Mountain Brook, a
suburb of Birmingham. The bird was healthy, but could not be returned to
the nest, which was clearly visible in the top of a very tall pine tree.
Another nestling could be seen in the nest. The young hawk’s
behavioral development was assessed in a flight cage by placing the bird
in an open nest basket about 5 feet above the ground. The bird
immediately left the nest basket and attempted to conceal itself on the
ground in some thick shrubbery immediately below the nest. Since the
bird made no attempt to move to higher perches, I concluded that it was
almost of the age to become a brancher, but that it was too young to
perch and move around independently. Its instincts most urgently
demanded concealment, although it no longer needed the support of the
nest. We prepared a small (3x3) platform with a layer of interwoven
twigs to provide a secure perch. Around the edge I fastened large
branches of holly which provided dense cover on all sides to a height of
about 12 to 18 inches. The platform was installed about 10 feet above
the ground, on a low branch of a dogwood tree in a thicket immediately
adjacent to the pine tree in which the original nest was located. |
This is an example of the importance of a “dress rehearsal” for older nestlings, branchers and fledglings. If I had not had a chance to observe the young hawk’s “hiding behavior” in a flight cage, I would never have realized how important it was to add cover around the edges of his platform, and the bird would probably have gone back to the ground to hide.
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