Red-shouldered Hawk
Buteo lineatus

Identification: The Red-shouldered Hawk is a long-legged, long-tailed, slender buteo, 18-24 inches in length with a wingspread of 33-34 inches. The bird has a black-and-white banded tail and dark streaks along its breast. In flight, this hawk shows a pale crescent on the outer portion of the wing toward the tip. Adults have reddish-colored shoulders. Immature birds are brown, with brown streaks along their breasts and the tail pattern is less distinct than in adults.

Range & Habitat: Red-shouldered Hawks are found as far north as Manitoba and New Brunswick, and south to the Gulf Coast. The Florida subspecies is endemic to Florida and the Keys and is usually found in moist woodlands and borders of swamps.

Reproduction: Red-shouldered Hawks nest in a deciduous or coniferous tree, usually 20-60 feet above the ground. The birds construct well-made cupped nests of sticks and twigs, lined with bark, mosses, leaves, feathers and down. The female typically lays 2 brown-blotched eggs, which are incubated by both the male and female for 28 days. Young hawks, called juveniles, leave the nest approximately 5 weeks after hatching. Red-shouldered Hawks seem to return to the same territory or nesting site each year.

Diet: Hunting from a perch low in a tree, this hawk feeds on rodents and other small mammals, snakes, frogs, insects and, occasionally, small birds.

Remarks: DDT and other pesticides have taken their toll on this species. The number of Red-shouldered Hawks, especially in the east, has declined in recent years. During courtship, a Red-shouldered pair can be quite noisy, wheeling in the sky above their nesting territory and uttering their distinctive whistled scream.