Ferruginous Hawk

Description:

This is my first attempt to draw a ferruginous hawk. They live in treeless grasslands, and have the odd habit of building a nest on the ground. They have larger mouths relative to head size than any other hawk, enabling them to eat large chunks of meat or even whole animals. Prey includes prairie dogs and rabbits, which are killed by compression of talons. Feet are very small for size, and it has a feathered tarsus. They are uncommon in falconry, due to their aggressive temperament, need for large expanses of treeless area, and ability to only catch a few quarries a day. Since ferruginous hawks eat quickly, by the time the falconer gets to the hawk, it is usually fed up. After the hawk is fed up it will become less responsive to the falconer, as it's no longer hungry, and it would be unsafe to hunt again for the day. There is some debating over if the ferruginous hawk is the largest buzzard/hawk or smallest eagle. This took between half an hour and two hours to draw (kind of vague, I know). I used several reference photos for the eye, beak, cere, etc. And yes, my signature has changed, for you people who actually noticed. :D