Editing Hawk (section)

==Migration==

Like most birds, hawks migrate in the autumn and the spring. The autumn migration season begins in August and ends mid-December, and different types of hawk choose different times in each season to migrate. Some migration distances are longer than others, and birds traveling longer distances tend to depart in early autumn while those traveling shorter distances start much later. Studies have shown that it is better for a hawk to arrive at its destination as early as possible to have first pick of mates, territory, food, and other resources.<ref name="Migration of Hawks">{{cite book|last=Heintzelman|first=Donald S.|title=The Migration of Hawks|year=1986|publisher=Indiana University Press|location=Bloomington|pages=40}}</ref>

There are a variety of factors impacting the strategy and success of a hawk's migration. Kerlinger states that a bird has more body fat when it begins its migration than when it arrives at its destination. Thus, the more fat a bird has when it begins its migration, the better its chances of making the trip safely. Flight path is another important factor in migration because a bird's route can greatly affect the conditions it encounters during its journey. For example, wind direction and speed can either throw the bird off course or push it in the right direction.<ref name="Flight Strategies">{{cite book|last=Kerlinger|first=Paul|title=Flight Strategies of Migrating Hawks|year=1989|publisher=The University of Chicago Press|location=Chicago|pages=57–58,153}}</ref> Due to the relative variability of air conditions over large bodies of water and the resulting impact on safety, hawks tend to avoid any large bodies of water while migrating by detouring around lakes or flying along coasts.<ref name="Soaring Hawks">{{cite book|last=Heintzelman|first=Donald S.|title=Hawks & Owls in Eastern North America|year=2004|publisher=Rutgers University Press|location=New Brunswick|pages=96–98|isbn=9780813533506|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tTMTU3l1BDsC&pg=PA96}}</ref>

[[Hawkwatching]] is a citizen scientist activity that monitors hawk migration and provides data to the scientific community.