Wellesley College’s campus features alternating wooded areas and open spaces, making ideal habitat for the red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), a striking raptor that many human members of the College community have spotted this Fall.
Red-tailed hawks are birds of prey, and hunt not by hovering and soaring in the air, but rather by perching on branches and swooping down to ground level to capture prey such as mice, voles, squirrels, and chipmunks. They are one of the largest hawks in North America, and also one of the most widespread and common. Here at Wellesley, red-tailed hawks enjoy perching in tall trees that surround open spaces, where they can easily spot prey even from 100 feet above ground level.
Emma recounts her experience witnessing this striking wildlife interaction:
“it was unusual yet very cool to be in such close proximity to a hawk... I occasionally hear the distant screech of a hawk at Wellesley, but hadn’t ever been so close! Just a beautiful reminder of how much life this campus hosts.”
Emma Andrews '23 spotted a red-tailed hawk after it had recently captured a small rodent
A red-tailed hawk perches on a tree branch by the Science Center Meadow
Red-tailed hawks are incredible predators that likely help keep Wellesley’s burgeoning small rodent population in check. Although there has been a sudden uptick in red-tailed hawk sightings at Wellesley on iNaturalist, this may have also coincided with the loss of leaves from deciduous trees making the perching hawks much more visible to passerbys. Red-tailed hawks can be spotted at Wellesley year-round. Whatever it may be, red-tailed hawks are welcome additions to Wellesley’s campus, bringing balance to the landscape’s ecosystems.
Welcome to the Paulson Ecology of Place Initiative Biodiversity Project! This is our first news post, and we plan on continuing to feature diverse wildlife and plants, as well as interesting nature details, in the future!
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