The Research

Hawk Talk is a new project of the Bird Cams Lab from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, funded by the National Science Foundation. Even though Red-tailed Hawks are one of the most widespread North American birds, scientists still have so much to discover about their behavior and vocalizations.

Hawk Talk is also a research investigation that is co-created by cam viewers and scientists. During the summer of 2018, a group of volunteer cam watchers spent weeks observing the Red-tailed Hawk cam, brainstorming questions about what they were seeing, and ultimately voting on a question to investigate:

Do hawks use different kinds of calls in different situations at the nest?

Previous researchers that have documented Red-tailed vocalizations have been mostly limited to what they can hear on the ground or when briefly checking a nest. The 24/7 Red-tailed Hawk cam gives us the chance to document vocalizations right at the nest for the entire season without disturbing the birds!

Join us for this first round of clips in which we will look at the first week of footage after the nestlings start to hatch. We also invite you to learn more about the Bird Cams Lab project and sign up to help us test new activities for co-created research investigations.