What's the Difference Between Hawks and Falcons?

When it comes to birds of prey, it can be virtually impossible to identify what's circling overhead if all you can discern about the animal is that it's big. Birdwatchers risk misidentifying less-common raptors as the red-tailed hawk, the most populous hawk in the U.S. One would be disappointed not to realize what they're looking at is the fastest animal on Earth, the peregrine falcon.

Hawks and falcons are equally fascinating but frequently confused because of their similar silhouettes and shared range. There are subtle (and not-so-subtle) differences, however, such as the shape of their outstretched wings, body size, flying style, and beak shape. Here, find out how to tell a hawk from a falcon so you can distinguish America's most common raptor from the world's speediest.

Hawk and Falcon Classification

There are more than 200 hawk species spread across several genera, all belonging to the order Accipitriformes and family Accipitridae, which describes diurnal predator birds of varying sizes with strongly hooked bills, broad wings, and sharp talons. This family also contains eagles, kites, and buzzards. There are about 50 species of "true" hawks, all belonging to the subfamily Accipitrinae and split into four genera: Accipiter, Erythrotriorchis, Megatriorchis, and Microspizias.

Falcons, on the contrary, all belong to one genus: Falco. The genus is under the order Falconiformes, family Falconidae, and subfamily Falconinae. There are about 64 species globally.

Though they fall into completely different families—different orders, even—falcons are often categorized as hawks likely because of a nickname the peregrine falcon has long held in North America, the "duck hawk."

Characteristics of Hawks vs Falcons

In much of their range, hawks and falcons share the same airspace. Birders need to tune into the small details that set them apart to know which type of bird they're watching.

Size

One of the biggest, most obvious distinctions between hawks and falcons is size. The average adult red-tailed hawk is about 20 inches long (from bill to tail), slightly shorter than North America's largest, the Ferruginous hawk, about 25 inches long. The American kestrel, for reference, is only about 10 inches long, and the peregrine falcon is 17 inches on average.

Falcon and Hawk Wings

Falcons are sometimes called "longwings," and even though their wingspans don't necessarily exceed that of a hawk's—at least in the case of the peregrine falcon (max 43 inches) or American kestrel (24 inches) compared with the red-tailed hawk (52 inches)—the slenderness of falcon wings creates the illusion of length. Adapted for incredible speed, falcon wings also come to a point at the ends whereas hawks' are more rounded and sometimes feature discernible feathers that look like fingers.

In terms of flight patterns, falcons beat their long and slender wings rapidly, breaking only briefly to glide. Hawks flap their wings slowly, gliding for longer periods and more often. Falcons are superior flying birds, able to reach speeds of 200 mph.

Head and Beak Shape

If you see one of these birds of prey perched, notice the shape of the head: A falcon's is short and rounded whereas a hawk's is pointier. Hawks do not have a notch at the tips of their beaks—a "tooth" that falcons use to kill their prey. Instead, they have beaks that curve evenly; they use their talons, not their beaks, to kill prey.

Falcon vs Hawk Flying Range

One reason hawks and falcons are so often confused is because they share much of their range across the U.S. and globally. Despite the peregrine falcon being among the world's most common birds of prey, hawks—the red-tailed hawk, especially—are more widespread throughout the States. The U.S. is home to six falcon species and up to 25 hawk species (estimates vary).

The ubiquitous red-tailed hawk resides permanently in every state except Montana, North Dakota, Alaska, and Hawaii (it does, however, move into northern states during the summer). The most common falcon in the U.S. is not the peregrine falcon but the American kestrel, residing permanently in every state except much of Montana, North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Alaska, and Hawaii (again, though, it can be found in the northern states during summer). Peregrine falcons, the most famous and well-known of their genus, live permanently only around U.S. coastlines, mountain ranges, and along river valleys.

Conservation Status of Falcons and Hawks

Starting in the mid-1900s birds of prey all over the world were slowly poisoned by a bioaccumulation of DDT, an insecticide farmers used on pests eventually eaten by raptors. DDT was banned in the U.S. in 1972, after which birds of prey including hawks and falcons slowly recovered. Today, they're still poisoned by lead (used in sinkers for fishing), but their biggest problems are climate change and habitat loss.

Of the 51 "true" hawks listed by the IUCN, seven are near-threatened with extinction, five are vulnerable, and two—the red goshawk and Gundlach's hawk—are endangered. Of the 34 falcons listed, three are considered near-threatened, five are vulnerable, and two are endangered—the Mauritius kestrel and saker falcon.