Northward summer migration of red-tailed hawks fledged from southern latitudes

Abstract

With a breeding range extending from approximately 68°N in northern Canada to 8°N in Panama, Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) exhibit migrations that vary substantially with latitude. Northern populations are almost completely migratory, middle-latitude populations are partially migratory, and southern populations south of 38°N are considered sedentary. Contrary to the latter widely held belief, we found that many juveniles and young adults from one population below 38°N are also partially migratory. However, unlike most birds in the northern hemisphere that migrate south in autumn, young Red-tailed Hawks from our southwestern California study area migrated north in summer to summering areas as far as 1462 km from their natal nests. Of the 5271 Red-tailed Hawk nestlings we banded in the study area and an additional 189 banded by other researchers, 205 were encountered (found dead or alive or recaptured) outside the study area. We classified 64 encountered hawks as potential migrants, most (69%) of which were encountered to the north of their natal nest (median = 383 km). We found that juveniles and young adults banded south of 35°N in the Pacific Flyway migrated north, whereas those banded north of 40°N migrated south. Sixteen hawks from the study area equipped with satellite transmitters as fledglings migrated north (range 342-24°) in summer, up to 1388 km, and returned to their natal region in autumn of the same year. This pattern was repeated annually until they acquired a mate and territory. Our results showed that many or most young Red-tailed Hawks migrate northward in the summer, and we propose that this pattern may be a response to historical climate changes, seasonal changes in sciurid prey availability, and/or dominance of territorial adults.