Life can be lonely at the top, but there are certain advantages. Command of the heights is an entrenched doctrine of every military on the globe. The origin of this convention traces its beginning back to controlling the high ground and letting gravity do the work of hitting the target fast and efficiently.
First it was hilltops, and then aircraft were necessary to rule the strategic pinnacle. Today’s altitudes have reached beyond the atmosphere and give all indications of continuing far beyond the planet.
Nature has used the same system of dominating the skies in panhandle Florida and elsewhere since before the beginning of recorded history. Red-shouldered hawks have long been apex predators which apply this plan to secure meals and restrain the populations of some potentially destructive animals.
While this common raptor species is not the only hawk in the area, they certainly fit the profile of what the name implies. This family of predatory birds takes its name from the Latin term rapere which means to take by force.
Red-shouldered hawks are equipped to hunt and are always on the search for their next meal. Most native small to medium-sized animals are on the menu, including mammals, amphibians, reptiles, insects and even other birds.
These medium-sized birds have broad, rounded wings which they commonly use to glide and soar while searching for game. Females of this species are slightly larger than the males and may reach two feet in length and have a wingspan of over four feet.
Their distinctive color pattern includes reddish barring on the breast feathers and shoulder region with black and white bands on the wings and tail. In flight their wing tips are angled slightly forward, giving the appearance of reaching.
Red-shouldered hawks are equipped to hunt and are exclusively carnivores. Most native small to medium-sized animals are a potential meal, including mammals, amphibians, reptiles, insects and other birds.
Their opening technique is a swift, silent and quickly lethal attack from above. These hawks use their keen eyesight and aerodynamic shape to drop suddenly from hundreds of feet on unsuspecting victims.
This bird’s toes are tipped with needle-sharp talons which are combined with a vicelike grip to quickly dispatch most prey. For the occasional challenge which survives the initial attack, there is the hawk’s beak.
Their beaks are designed for tearing and ripping through the sinew and tough skin necessary to survive and multiply in the wilds of north Florida. The meal is usually removed to a high limb for consumption or to a nest for sharing with chicks.
All the species which may fall prey to this stocky hunter are prepared with their own defense mechanisms which have assured their continuance in the dangerous conditions which prevail in the local forests, swamps and open lands.
Stealth, agility and awareness of danger all contribute to the survivability of individual prey species when red-shouldered hawks are nearby. High reproduction rates are the best defense for most of these animals when it comes to the continuation of their species, but that can initiate stresses on local resources.
Excess populations of rabbits, squirrels, mice, toads or other animals result when weather and growing conditions provide a favorable environment for a population explosion. The unrestrained growth can create problems for the human residents.
These year-round residents of north Florida work constantly towards a solution, one at a time. It may be lonely at the top, but at least there is plenty to eat.
Leave a Reply