Swainson's hawks gather to forage at fires on a northern prairie

Swainson's Hawks characteristically soar over farm machinery during summer, searching for rodents and other prey that are exposed by disturbance to vegetation during cultivation, mowing, crop harvest and pesticide application.311 Estep suggests that this hawk also may forage in association with burning activities.4 During a 20-year period, 1983-2002, we observed Swainson's Hawks and other species of hawks foraging at 158 prescribed burns conducted by us and co-workers to restore and maintain native, northern mixed-grass prairie at the109-km2 Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in northwest North Dakota (48 37' N, 102 27' W). Our observations suggest that this hawk is attracted to smoke plumes and that fire may be an important part of its evolutionary ecology.