GEORGIA. ALLAN-HADLEY
printed on Giclée Hahnemühle German Etching
Hawk & Falcon
Hawks are a group of medium-sized diurnal birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Hawks are widely distributed and vary greatly in size. The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks and others. All these groups are members of the Accipitridae family, which includes the hawks and buzzards as well as kites, harriers and eagles. Hawks have four types of colour receptors in the eye. These give hawks the ability to perceive not only the visible range but also the ultraviolet part of the spectrum. Other adaptations allow for the detection of polarised light or magnetic fields.
Like most birds, the hawk migrates in the autumn and spring. Different types of hawks choose separate times in each season to migrate. The autumn migrating season begins in August and ends mid-December. To ensure a safer journey, a hawk tries to avoid any large bodies of water in the spring and fall by detouring around a lake or flying along a border
Hawks usually like to live in places like deserts and fields, likely as it is easier to find prey. As they are able to live anywhere, they can be found in mountainous plains and tropical, moist areas. Hawks have been found in places such as Central America, the West Indies and Jamaica. Both the male and the female will cater and take care of the eggs for about a month until they hatch. Hawks tend to be monogamous and stay with the same mating partner their whole lives.
Falconry as once called "hawking" and any bird used for falconry could be referred to as a hawk. Hawks were named among the most intelligent birds.
In Ancient Egypt, the hawk, or falcon, was a royal bird. Gods depicted as being hawk-headed, or accompanied by hawks, were Ra, Horus, Khensu, Ptah, Mentu, Rehu, Sokar & Keghsenuf. The hawk was associated with the Great Mother Amenti. In Greek myth, the goddess Circe was associated with hawks. Also the messenger of Apollo.