Falconer Explains Difference Between Hawk and Eagle for 45 Minutes, Listener Retains Nothing

Falconer and raptor educator Sandra Bewit delivered an exhaustive 45-minute explanation of the taxonomic, morphological, and behavioral differences between hawks and eagles to a park visitor Saturday, at the conclusion of which the visitor summarized her understanding as 'so basically one's bigger.'

The exchange began when the visitor, identified as Karen Sparrow, approached Bewit during a public raptor education event and asked, 'What's the difference between a hawk and an eagle? They're basically the same, right?'

Bewit, who has a master's degree in raptor biology and has been a licensed falconer for 14 years, took a steadying breath and began.

'I started with the family Accipitridae,' Bewit recounted, 'explaining that while both hawks and eagles belong to the same family, the term hawk encompasses multiple genera including Buteo and Accipiter, while eagles comprise several distinct genera including Aquila and Haliaeetus.'

She then covered wing morphology, explaining how buteos have broad, rounded wings adapted for soaring while accipiters have shorter, rounded wings for maneuvering through forests. She discussed hunting strategies, prey selection, size dimorphism, habitat preferences, and the legal framework surrounding each species.

'I used visual aids,' Bewit said. 'I had a red-tail on the glove. I drew wing shapes in the dirt. I showed photographs on my phone. I was thorough.'

At the conclusion of the presentation, Sparrow nodded slowly and said, 'Okay so the eagle is just the big one. Got it. Thanks!'

She then pointed at Bewit's red-tailed hawk and asked, 'Is that a baby eagle?'

Bewit has requested a sabbatical from public education events.