Hawks build their nests on branches of tall trees, usually in sites with strong winds and a large view of the landscape. But, unlike the Falcons, hawks crush their prey with their claws immediately rather than using their beaks. When they spot prey, they dive down and grab the prey with their talons. Hawks, on the other hand, hunt while perching high above the ground, on fences, trees, electric poles, etc. These birds use their talon claws to catch and hold their prey and take them somewhere before killing them with their claws. When they do, they do something that we call a “stoop”, which is when they start diving downwards to catch their prey. And because they have incredible eyesight, they can easily spot a try on the ground. Although both are birds of prey, the way they hunt is different.įalcons generally love hunting while being so high up in the sky. We should also look at the hunting habits of these birds. Hawks are generally slower in terms of diving or just ordinary flying. It is known to be one of the fastest animals on the planet and can dive at 200 mph speed. One famous falcon when it comes to speed is the Peregrine Falcon. They are generally faster than most birds, thanks to their thin, long wings and lightweight bodies. As we all know by now, falcons are well-known for their super-fast speed.
Falcons: Speedīetween the hawk and the falcon, the falcon is definitely faster. But if the bird glides more often and flaps slowly, that’s a hawk. When the bird flaps its wings faster and glides only for short periods, that’s a falcon. When the hawk or falcon is too high up in the air, and you can’t see the wingtips clearly, try to observe their flight pattern. The beaks look similar, but if you look closely, the falcon’s beak has an angular curve while hawks have smoother beaks with a simple curve.Īpart from the wings, you can also tell the hawk from a falcon based on its flight pattern. The falcon’s head is short and rounded, while the hawk’s head is sleek and pointed. The next thing you can look at is the shape of the bird’s head and beak. This differentiation is much more reliable than just simply referring to the birds’ size or color. Hawks, on the other hand, have shorter and broader wings, with their wingtips also finger-like. It’s also easy to tell a falcon from a hawk just based on the shape of its wings.įalcon wings are generally longer and slender than hawks’, and the wingtips are pointed. You’ll also find that their faces are generally white, and their bellies are striped down to the base. The wings are of the same color tone, only slightly lighter with a pale and white neck area. Their feet and upper mouth are light-yellow in color, and their cheeks are brown.įalcons, on the other hand, have dark grey to greyish blue heads, and the color extends to their backs. The wing’s underside is pale, and their long tail is darker than the rest of their body. They have a pale belly with striped white bands at the base. Generally, hawks are seen with reddish-brown or dark brown heads and wings. So, if you can’t tell by their size, the next thing you can look at is their feather color. And there are also cases when some species of falcons are bigger than hawks. It’s a minimal difference and might be hard to notice. A falcon, on the other hand, can grow at a body length between 13 to 23 inches and weighs around 0.7 to 1.5 kg. Generally, a fully grown hawk can grow between 18 to 26 inches and weighs between 0.7 to 1.6 kg. The first thing you’ll notice is that hawks are larger than falcons. Next, let’s compare these two bird species in terms of appearance.
These birds are known all over the world, mainly because of their speed. Some of the most famous falcons we know are: There are only about 40 species, which means their numbers are a lot smaller than hawks. And while hawks belong in various genus, falcons belong in only one-the genus Falco. Falcons: Taxonomy Hawksįalcons are birds of prey in the family Falconidae. So, if you’re ready to finally identify which is which confidently, read on… Hawks vs. We’ll also share some exciting facts about these two birds. In this article, we’ll discuss the main difference between hawks and falcons, in terms of their: When you see a big bird flying in the sky with large hooked beaks, it will get you thinking: Is that a hawk or a falcon? As these are both birds of prey, they have many similarities, and you’ll only be able to tell the difference if you look closely at them.
If you’re new to bird watching, telling the difference between some bird species can be challenging. Final Thoughts About The Difference Between Hawks and Falcons.