Swainson's Hawk
Buteo swainsoni
Synopsis: Fairly widespread in sagebrush areas of eastern Oregon with widely scattered trees for nesting. Most notable are the records from the westernmost part of its Oregon range, and northwestern Grant County. Many authorities believe the species has declined since 1940, although the exact causes are not clear. A combination of an increased agricultural use of habitat along with increased competition from expanding Red-tailed Hawk populations has been suggested; it is not certain to what extent Oregon's population has been affected by pesticide-caused deaths on South American wintering grounds.

Habitat Associations:
strongest
Sagebrush Steppe (3894155 acres)
Salt Desert Scrub Shrubland (302260 acres)
Big Sagebrush Shrubland (7629824 acres)
Bitterbrush-Big Sagebrush Shrubland (133184 acres)
Grassland & Fir-Ponderosa Interspersed (159806 acres)
Northeast Modified Grassland (769460 acres)
Edges of Cropland/Pasture/Orchard (2625483 acres)
W. Juniper Woodland (1894222 acres)
lesser
Low-Dwarf Sagebrush (137869 acres)
Northeast Canyon Grass & Shrubland (153882 acres)
Seasonally Wet Playa (58171 acres)

Relative Detectability: Nests are fairly easy to spot.

Challenge: Confirm breeding in northern and western Lake County, and southern Malheur County.