Hawks are strong, powerful birds. Their feet are equipped with sharp, curved talons for capturing prey, and their strong beaks are hooked for biting and tearing flesh. Swift fliers, some hawks can attain speeds of over 150 miles per hour when diving. Some species undertake long migrational journeys, traveling thousands of miles each year - a testimony to their strength and stamina. T heir sense of hearing is excellent, and their eyesight is the best in the entire animal world.
Hawks also see in color.
In many animal species the males are larger and stronger, but in hawks the difference in size between the sexes is reversed, and females are larger. This sexual difference is often appreciable. In some species such as the Sharp-shinned Hawks, females can weigh twice as much as the males. Here in the West, hawks typically breed in the late spring or early summer. Most hawks pair for life, but if one partner dies, the other will quickly find a new mate.