Habitat Suitability Index Models: Ferruginous hawk

The ferruginous hawk inhabits grasslands, shrublands, and steppe-deserts of the Western United States. It is a common nester in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming (Call 1978). Populations in the more Northern States tend to be migratory, spending the winter in New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Texas, and Oklahoma (Call 1979).

Ferruginous hawks thrive in areas that favor the production of rabbits (Lagomorpha), prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.), or ground squirrels (Citellus spp. and Spermophilus spp.) (Call 1979), provided that suitable nesting sites are available. Foraging habitat consists of nonforested, nonmountainous areas, such as desert shrub and grassland communities. Nesting habitat consists of communities with isolated trees, woodland edges, buttes, cliffs, and/or grassland with some relief.