Scientific Name: Falco columborius Wingspan/Size: 10”-12”

How to identify them:

They are dark, sleek falcons with a streaked breast, roughly the size of a jay.

Where to find them in Oregon:

Occasional migrant and winter resident in Oregon. Has been seen in the Willamette Valley with proof of breeding there.

Preferred Habitat:

Same as most hawks and falcons.

General Behavior:

They fly straight and fast. Often seen hurtling into a flock of shorebirds or sparrows, pigeons or other small flocking birds. This is how it got its common name of pigeon hawk.

Nesting Behavior:

Nests on cliffs or trees. Nest is made of sticks and line with feathers, moss or shredded bark. eggs; 4 to 5 white with reddish brown tinge.

Citations:

Baron, Nancy; Acorn, John, Birds of the Pacific Northwest Coast, Renton, Washington, Lone Pine Publishing 1997, p 125, 130

Craighead, John J.; Craighead, Frank C. Jr., Hawks Owls and Wildlife, New York, Dover Publications, 1969, P 58, 30

Gabrielson, Ira N., Jewett, Stanley G., Birds of the Pacific Northwest, New York, Dover Publications, 1970 (originally published by Oregon State College as Birds of Oregon in 1940. (Republished by Dover Publications by special arrangement with Oregon State University), p 205

Ramsey, Fred L. Birding Oregon, Corvallis: Audubon Society of Corvallis, 1978, p 160