Have you heard whining that sounds like this?
Sometimes you hear songbirds calling nearby, “Danger! Watch out!”
In July and early August young red-tailed hawks whine for food. Here’s one in July 2018 at New York’s Botanical Garden with an American robin raising the alarm.
And here’s one on a windowsill in Austin, Texas, July 2011.
Red-tailed hawks raise one brood per year. The female lays eggs in March or April. The eggs hatch in 28-35 days and the young fledge 42-46 days later. That’s when the begging begins.
For three weeks juvenile red-tailed hawks depend on their parents and are not shy about asking for food. Whine!
The whining doesn’t end there. Though the youngsters become increasingly self sufficient they still want a handout if they can get one. Whine! Whine! Whine! Their parents ignore them.
Self sufficiency is the first big hurdle on their way to becoming successful adult red-tails. Some youngsters take longer than others to get the hint.
Meanwhile, whine, whine, whine, WHINE!
(photo from Wikimedia Commons; click on the caption to see the original. Audio from Xeno Canto, videos from YouTube)
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