Food Preferences & Winter Destinations of Some Raptors
at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge
When Hawk Migrates |
Destination |
Food Eating at Chincoteague During Migration |
Merlin Hawk | ||
Late Sept-early Oct | Carribean Central America | Small to medium birds (doves, woodpeckers, robins, starlings) |
American Kestrel | ||
Mid Sept-mid Oct | Eastern U.S. Caribbean | Insects and small mammals (field mice and grasshoppers) |
Sharp-shinned Hawk | ||
Mid-Sept-early Oct | Caribbean and Mexico | Small birds (swallows, starlings, blackbirds, robins) |
Northern Harrier | ||
Late Sept-early Oct | Southeastern U.S. & Carribean | Small mammals (mice, rats) and small snakes |
Coopers Hawk | ||
Late-Sept-mid-Oct | South through Mexico to Guatemala & Honduras (See Note below.) | Medium birds (flickers, doves) and small mammals |
Peregrine Falcon | ||
Late Sept-mid to late Oct | Central & So. America, Caribbean & So. U.S. | Small to medium birds (ducks, shorebirds, flickers, etc) |
Osprey | ||
Late Sept-early Oct | South America | Fish (Blue fish, Menhaden, Perch, etc.) |
Bald Eagle | ||
Late Sept-early Oct | Southeastern US (Atlantic eagles) | Fish, waterfowl, (snowgeese), carrion |