Red-shouldered Hawk
Scientific name
Buteo lineatus
about the species
Adult Red-Shouldered Hawk can be identified by the rusty/red coloring of their shoulders and barring on their breast. Compared to other hawk species, their wings and tails are relatively long. Red-shouldered Hawks also have checkered black-and-white feathers on their wings and crescent-shaped wing panels at the outer parts of the primary wing feathers. Red-shouldered Hawks search for food primarily from perches but can also be seen hunting for food by soaring overhead. The most common food sources for these hawks are small mammals, especially rodents, but Red-Shouldered Hawks also eat reptiles such as snakes, amphibians such as frogs, crustaceans such as crayfish, and insects. Red-shouldered Hawks help control rodent and small animal populations. These hawks can be seen in neighborhoods and in parks where forest and woodland habitats are close by. Red-shouldered Hawks can even be spotted multiple years in a row as they will often reuse their nests. Unfortunately, habitat degradation via human activities such as the destruction of forests is the main cause of decline in this hawk species.
conservation status
Least Concern
How we’re studying this species
We are collecting data on avian biodiversity, including Red-shouldered Hawk presence, through point count surveys in Forest Park. We are also fitting GPS tags on Red-shouldered Hawks and collecting health data from them.
