Like most birds, red-tailed hawks migrate to find adequate food during the winter season. If a food source is found, even in frigid Minnesota, then there is no strong need to migrate further south. As hawks move farther south, the density of other hawks increases, so the competition for available food also increases. By staying in MN, the density of competition is less, but the food availablity might also be less.
Another thing to consider is that the birds you are observing may or may not be the ones you saw during the summer. Many red-tails from parts of Canada will migrate south to their winter range in Minnesota. Some local birds will also just stay and not migrate at all if they are confident of finding adequate food. Steve Estebo Avian Zoologist MN Zoo Master Falconer ********************* Quoting Gerald Brimacombe <gbrim at integra.net>: > I have been observing a pair of Red Tailed Hawks for the past year. > Their favorite perch is atop a modern style high tension pole > overlooking Dan Patch Lake here in Savage. They work the yards and > woods in the surrounding area, and I note with pleasure the > considerable reduction in our squirrel/chipmunk population. They > have been here all winter, but have disappeared since the arrival of > our current cold spell. I suspect they are probably still in the > area, but have hunkered down out of the wind and cold like all the > rest of us. I was under the impression that most hawks migrated > further south for better hunting during the winter months. Any > feedback on this? > > Thank you, > Gerald Brimacombe
