How smart is a hawk?|| THE APPU WORLD

 How smart is a hawk?

When you look up at the blue Colorado sky, the feathered airplane flies freely across its broad wings, seemingly ascending, immersed and circling in the air; broad, round, rich red, round tail.

This is probably the red-tailed hawk, the most common member of the buzzard hawk family. The red-tailed hawks live in our province all year long, roaming the region depending on the season.

The red tail is one of the largest hawks, and the adults weigh between 2 and 4 pounds. Like most raptors, the female is about a third the size of the male and can be up to 56 inches long.

Although the symptoms and colors vary, the vulture's underside is lighter than its back, and it has a dark brown belt on its belly made of straight patterns on its feathers. The red tail feature is similarly red with bricks above, and pink below. The bill is short and dark and is connected to the feature feature of all raptors (carnivorous birds). They have short, broad tails and thick, thick wings. Legs and feet are yellow.

Unripe birds can easily be seen near their eyes in yellow. As the bird grows to maturity within three to four years, the iris gradually turns reddish-brown.

These amazing birds can see extremely well: about eight times sharper than the human eye, as they have more photoreceptors in the retina than humans (1,000,000 / square mm compared to 200,000 in the human eye). They also have a very high number of nerve fibers that connect receptors in the brain, a second set of eye muscles not found in other animals, and a bound fovea (part of the eye, in the middle of the retina macula region) enlarging the central part of the visual field.

Not only do they have a keen mind but they are also very intelligent. A Canadian scientist developed a method of measuring the IQ of birds by changing their diet, and hawks were named among the most intelligent birds based on this scale. This is amazing, as we have found that the Corvus family of birds - which includes crows and ravens - can use tools and be able to mimic many other sounds. The word "bird-brain" meaning little intelligence is a misnomer. The more we study the birds, the more we understand how flexible and intelligent they are.

The hawk is an aggressive predator who will sit on a pole or a high branch, waiting for an opportunity to paddle his prey. They can snatch a singing bird in the air or a small mouse on the ground. About 90 percent of the red-tailed hawks are made up of small rodents, and their sharp claws are a major weapon. All hawks hunt during the day but will use the evening light to protect themselves when chasing prey.

The red-tailed hawk has a barking sound, which can be heard loudly while flying.

Mating and nesting begin in early spring. Mating involves a spectacular air show performed by both men and women. They rotate and fly very high, and they go down to the top of the tree by folding their wings, and they will repeat the show many times five or six times in a row.

Both males and females help to build nests, and the nests can be used annually in pairs. It is believed that the Hawks partner is a lifelong partner.

The nest is large, flat, pointed, and made of sticks and branches about 1/2 inch wide and is 35 to 75 feet high on the trunks of large trees. They will repair any damage to the nest and add new layers of breeding material each year.

The female usually lays two white to white eggs with red spots and splotches. It stays on the eggs for 28-32 days, and while it is in the nest the male hunts both, moving its food to the nest.

New chicks are covered with white on the floor, grow slowly and need a lot of food, provided by both parents. When the parents leave the nest, the youngsters cry out loudly, “klee-uk,” repeating several times, meaning “I am hungry, and I am feeding them.”

They stay in the nest for up to seven weeks. Over the past week or so, the chicks, now grown to about the size of parent birds, practice their flying skills by flapping their wings and measuring the wind at the edge of the nest. Soon they will be cool in the air. Red tails usually do not reach the age of reproduction until they are 3 years old.

Because they are regular hunters, easily trained and skilled, most of the hawks captured by falconry in the United States are red-tails. Falconers are only allowed to take the so-called "hawks" - small birds that have left the nest, alone, and less than a year old. It is actually illegal to take adults, which may be breeding or raising chicks. Hawks with a red-tailed passage are also popular with falconers because these small birds are easily trained.

In our district, there is the Colorado Hawking Club, which hosts the game "a time of honor that dates back hundreds of years".

The red-tailed hawk also plays an important role in Native American culture. Its feathers are considered sacred by other nations, and they are used in religious ceremonies.

Native American folklore and folk tales say that if a red-tailed hawk lives near you, it means you are bringing a message from the Great Spirit. In some Native American cultures the red hawk plays the role of overseer and envoy, and “the hawk reminded the people to be vigilant and careful.”

Breckenridge resident Dr. Joanne Stolen has retired from teaching microbiology at Rutgers University, and has taught CMC classes. He is now pursuing a career in art, focusing on the environment and the many animals he writes about. His work is reflected in the area.