UW Live Stream Showcases Nesting Ferruginous Hawks [VIDEOS]

Living in Wyoming, we have a healthy population of raptor birds. Driving across the prairie, it is common to spot osprey, red tail hawks, golden eagles, or bald eagles. However, the University of Wyoming Biodiversity Program has a unique opportunity to document a nesting of a pair of Ferruginous Hawks.

These hawks are specialists of arid, open habitats like grasslands and sagebrush plains. Perhaps more than any other raptor, they rely heavily on large rodent prey like prairie dogs and occasionally jackrabbit. They occupy a smaller continental range than many similar sized hawks and Wyoming residents are fortunate to see these animals more frequently than most other states. - the University of Wyoming Biodiversity Program writes in the video description.

The UW Biodiversity team have been able to capture many spectacular moments of the nesting pair. They were able to see the two birds setup the nest, see the eggs hatch, watch the parents feed the young, and many other natural behaviors.

Ferruginous Hawks, according to Audubon.org, are a threatened species. They are curious birds that are not afraid of humans. They can be found sitting in fields or perched atop telephone poles. Commonly they nest on cliffs, so when UW had the chance, they set up the live cam.

As of the publish time, the live feed is still streaming, and "Mom" and "Dad" are still around, but it appears the young have flown the coop. Now we can only assume they are flying around the Wyoming skies hunting for mice and other pesky rodents.