Although most North American raptors are migratory (Bent 1937, 1938), considerably less emphasis has been placed on studying wintering habitat than breeding habitat. Newton (1979) noted that relatively few raptor studies have been conducted during the winter.
Wilkinson and Debban (1980) stated that little is known about wintering habitat preferences for any raptor species (but see Southern 1963; Weller 1964; Schnell 1968; Edwards 1969; Koplin 1973; Page and Whitacre 1975; Parker and Campbell 1984; Fisher et al. 1984). Consequently, it is difficult to predict the effects of winter habitat alterations on raptor populations.