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Articles

Vol. 20 No. 1 (1989)

FIRST RECORD OF THE COMMON BLACK-HAWK FOR CALIFORNIA

Submitted
September 13, 2025
Published
January 1, 1989

Abstract

On 13 April 1985, Daniels and the Hayses found a Common Black-Hawk (Buteogallus anthracinus) at Thousand Palms Nature Conservancy Preserve, Riverside County, California, a lush California Fan Palm (Washingtonia filifera) oasis with a creek lined by Fremont Cottonwoods (Populus fremontii). They first saw the hawk at 0700 flying downstream about 50 yards away. A Common Raven (Corvus corax) whose nest was nearby harassed it. The hawk flew back over the observers (within about 50 feet) and disappeared into the palm trees. At about 0800 they saw it again about a half mile upstream. It flew past them and then circled higher and higher, disappearing toward the north. They observed the bird for a total of about 15 minutes. Efforts to follow it by car were unsuccessful. They, and others, searched for the hawk later that day, but did not find it.

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