They can adapt to many different habitats as long as there is an abundant food supply. Early in the spring the hawk will have one complete molt each year. Immature birds change over to adult plumage upon completion of the first molt. The first molt is the most predictable. This begins when the immature hawk is approximately a year old, and begins first with the tail feathers followed by the wings in a well defined symmetrical pattern.
Some birds fail to molt symmetrical and become somewhat handicapped for months.
The duration of the first molt is usually five months. Second and subsequent molts grow more irregular. Older hawks may have new feathers growing in late winter. The older a bird becomes, the more prolonged the molt. Very old birds may be in an almost constant state of molt.