A pair of breeding hawks builds a large stick nest on a rock ledge or a sturdy tree branch. The female incubates two to four eggs for about one month. After the young hatch the male provides most of the food while the female cares for the chicks at the nest. By fall, the young birds are as large as their parents, but duller in color. They are fully mature and ready to breed by their second year.
Birds of prey have extremely sharp sight, up to eight times sharper than our eyesight.
Hawks have an overlapping field of view of 30-50 degrees for binocular vision, and an overall field of view of about 150 degrees. This allows the bird's brain to work out distance and speed, which is very important for catching prey. This indigestible material is regurgitated sometime after the meal in the form of a pellet. The contents of the pellets may vary at different times of the year, depending upon what prey is available. The feet are very powerful.