wainson's Hawk
This bird is native to North America and not very common to falconry.
Plumage
This hawk is also highly variable in colorations. Commonly seen with a reddish breast directly under the throat and a light lower chest with barring. The head, back, and upper wings are typically dark brown with an amount of speckles.
Morphology
A large hawk, this is smaller than the Red-Tail or Red-Shouldered Hawk.
Hunting
Typical quarry caught are cottontail rabbits and medium birds. In the wild this bird takes small mammals and birds or reptiles.
Trivia
In the past, the Swainson's Hawk was called the "American Continental Falcon".
The Swainson's Hawk is believed to be slightly declining, although may be stable at this point. It has been placed on watch lists and removed before as it has turned out to be more abundant than previously thought. Although the population is unknown, some sources estimate that Veracruz, Mexico has had upwards of 845,000 pass through on their migratory route.
Links
http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/Infocenter/i3420id.html