Riparian Raptors: For Birds of Prey, Cottonwood Forests are Essential Islands in a Desert Sea

Riparian Raptors: For Birds of Prey, Cottonwood Forests are Essential Islands in a Desert Sea

Nature Notes

10/04/2025 11:45AM

Episode Synopsis "Riparian Raptors: For Birds of Prey, Cottonwood Forests are Essential Islands in a Desert Sea"

Zone-tailed hawks are among the birds of prey that rely on riparian forests – woodlands along creeks and streams – as nesting sites in the Big Bend. Each summer, these hawks return from the tropics to raise young in the same creek-side cottonwoods.

Listen "Riparian Raptors: For Birds of Prey, Cottonwood Forests are Essential Islands in a Desert Sea"

More episodes of the podcast Nature Notes