Life can be lonely at the top, but there are certain advantages. Command of the heights is an entrenched doctrine of every military unit on the globe. The value of this convention lies in the simple fact that controlling the high ground allows gravity to do some of the work of hitting targets fast and efficiently. The increased visibility is also incredibly useful.
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 north Florida and elsewhere since before the beginning of recorded history. Red-shouldered hawks have long been the apex predators which apply this plan to secure meals and restrain the populations of some potentially destructive animals.
From a high perch and with an ever-watchful eye, local red-shouldered hawks are always on the lookout for their next meal.
While this common raptor species is not the only hawk in the area, it certainly fits the profile of what the name implies. This family of predators takes its name from the Latin term rapere which means to take by force.
These medium-sized birds have broad rounded wings which they commonly use to glide and soar while searching for game. Females of the species are slightly larger than the males and may reach two feet in length with a wingspan 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 operating technique is a swift, silent and 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 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 prevailing in the local forests, swamps and open lands.
Stealth, agility and situational awareness of danger all contribute to the survivability of individual prey species when red-shouldered hawks are nearby. High reproduction rates are the best collective defense for many of these species when it comes to continuation of their lineage.
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 panhandle 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.
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