Red-shouldered Hawk

The Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) is a medium-sized bird of prey native to North America. Known for its brilliant plumage and highly vocal nature, it is a classic forest raptor that thrives in wet woods and river valleys. Unlike its larger relative, the Red-tailed Hawk, which prefers open country and highway margins, the Red-shouldered Hawk is a specialist of closed-canopy forests, though it has increasingly adapted to mature suburban parklands. With its boldly patterned wings and rich rufous underparts, it is one of the most visually striking raptors in its range.

Identifying a Red-shouldered Hawk relies on looking for key plumage and silhouette marks:

• Plumage: Adults display a vibrant, finely barred reddish-orange breast and belly. The shoulders (wrists) boast a distinctive warm, rufous patch, though this can sometimes be hidden when the bird is perched facing forward. The back and wings are dark brown to black, heavily checkered with white.
• Tail: The tail is dark black with several narrow, crisp white bands and a white tip.
• In Flight: Look for a diagnostic translucent 'window' (pale crescent) near the wingtips, at the base of the primary feathers. From below, their wings are pale with heavy dark and reddish barring.
• Silhouette: Features relatively long tails and narrow wings compared to other Buteo species, often holding their wings slightly cupped or bowed while soaring.

Similar Species:

• Red-tailed Hawk: Significantly larger, possesses a dark belly-band on a pale breast, lacks the sharp black-and-white checkered wing pattern, and features a solid rufous tail without black bands.
• Broad-winged Hawk: Smaller and more compact, with a shorter tail featuring one broad white band (rather than several narrow ones). Underwings are clean white with a dark border, lacking the checkered patterning.
• Cooper's Hawk: A woodland accipiter with short, rounded wings and a much longer, rounded tail. Cooper's Hawks fly with rapid flaps and glides, whereas the Red-shouldered Hawk has a heavier, more typical Buteo soaring flight.

Red-shouldered Hawks are primarily birds of mature, damp woodlands. Their preferred habitats include:

• Deciduous and mixed forests
• Wooded river swamps, flooded river valleys, and riparian zones
• Foothill forests and shaded canyons (particularly in the West Coast population)
• Mature suburban residential areas with significant tree cover

Geographic Range and Migration: They have two main disjunct populations. The eastern population ranges from southern Canada down through the eastern half of the United States to Florida and eastern Mexico. The western population is restricted to a narrow strip along the Pacific Coast, primarily in California and southwestern Oregon. While western and southernmost eastern populations are sedentary year-round residents, northernmost breeders migrate south to the southern United States and Mexico during autumn.

These hawks are famous for being exceptionally vocal, particularly during the spring breeding season.

• Vocalization: Their primary call is a loud, repeated, piercing whistle: kee-aah, kee-aah. This distinct sound is frequently mimicked by Blue Jays, so visual confirmation is always recommended.
• Foraging and Feeding: They typically hunt from a perch below the forest canopy, scanning the ground for movement. Upon spotting prey, they drop down swiftly to seize it. Key food items include voles, mice, garter snakes, frogs, toads, crayfish, and large grasshoppers.
• Nesting: Red-shouldered Hawks are monogamous and exhibit high site fidelity, often returning to the same nesting territory year after year. They build a bulky, bowl-shaped stick nest lined with green sprigs, pine needles, Spanish moss, or bark. The nest is typically placed in the main fork of a tall deciduous tree near a water source.