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The Swainson's Hawk breeds primarily in the grasslands of the prairie provinces, with small, scattered populations in western mountain valleys. It suffered dramatic population declines throughout its range in the late 1800s and early 1900s; the present population is well below historical levels (Bechard et al. 2010). It is now well monitored by the Breeding Bird Survey, which suggests little change in the population since 1970. The Swainson's Hawk has one of the longest annual migrations of any raptor, and management concerns centre on issues on its wintering grounds in southern South America (Bechard et al. 2010). This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.
The Swainson's Hawk feeds on insects during migration and winter, making it susceptible to pesticide poisoning; 6000 Swainson's Hawks were poisoned by the insecticides monocrotophos and dimethoate in 1995 and 1996 in Argentina (Bechard et al. 2010). Monocrotophos use has since been decreased significantly, but dimethoate is still in wide use in Argentina (Bechard et al. 2010). Concerns in Canada include the expansion of urban areas beyond levels tolerated by Swainson's Hawks and the availability of nest trees in grassland habitats (Bechard et al. 2010).
Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:
Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.