A medium-sized hawk with rusty-red shoulders and a striking black-and-white banded tail. Its keening "kee-aah" call rings through eastern woodlands in spring.
§ Quick facts
§ Encyclopedia
The red-shouldered hawk is a medium-sized buteo. Its breeding range spans eastern North America and along the coast of California and northern to northeastern-central Mexico. It is a permanent resident throughout most of its range, though northern birds do migrate, mostly to central Mexico. The main conservation threat to the widespread species is deforestation.
Source: Wikipedia — Red-shouldered hawk Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
§ Identification
Field marks. Rusty-orange "shoulders" (lesser coverts), black-and-white banded tail, pale chest with rusty bars below.
Similar species. Red-tailed Hawk (no banded tail, no rust shoulders). Broad-winged Hawk (smaller).
Voice. Piercing "kee-aah, kee-aah" calls, often imitated by Blue Jays.
§ Diet & behavior
Diet. Small mammals, frogs, snakes, lizards, large insects; occasional crayfish.
Behavior. Most riparian-affiliated US buteo. Pairs maintain stick nests in tall trees for years. Their "kee-aah" call is the iconic sound of bottomland woods.
§ Range
Eastern US year-round; isolated population in California
§ Habitat
Bottomland hardwood forests, riparian woodlands, wooded suburbs
§ Threats
Wetland drainage, mature forest loss, vehicle strikes on roadside hunters.
§ Conservation status
According to the IUCN Red List, the red-shouldered hawk is currently classified as Least Concern.
§ What helps
Protect bottomland hardwoods. Slow down on rural roads. Leave dead trees standing for nest sites.
§ Further reading
- Wikipedia — Red-shouldered hawk
- www.allaboutbirds.org — authoritative profile of Buteo lineatus
- IUCN Red List · taxon 22695883
- iNaturalist · taxon 5114
- eBird · reshaw
- GBIF occurrence records
- Encyclopedia of Life — Buteo lineatus
§ Sources cited
- Cornell Lab — All About Birds
- HawkWatch International
- The Peregrine Fund
- IUCN Red List 2016
