Red-Shouldered Hawk
Buteo lineatus
Aves › Accipitriformes › Accipitridae › Buteo
Conservation status: least_concern
The Red-shouldered Hawk is a medium-sized, stocky hawk with distinctive rusty-red shoulders and upper back, paired with a heavily barred chest and belly that give it a striking appearance. You'll most often spot this bird in wooded areas near water, where it hunts from perches with sharp, repeated "kee-ah" calls that are much louder than those of similar hawk species.
How To Identify
This medium-sized hawk is easily identified by the bright scarlet patch visible on its shoulders and upper chest. It generally displays a mottled brown underside and a uniform gray back.
Habitat
It typically inhabits deciduous and mixed forests, particularly near water sources such as swamps, bottomlands, and riparian corridors in eastern and western North America.
Behaviour
Red-shouldered Hawks are vocal and territorial raptors that often hunt by perching quietly before swooping down to catch prey, and they frequently soar in thermals while calling.
Native Range
Its breeding range spans eastern North America, along the coast of California and northern to northeastern-central Mexico. The Red-Shouldered Hawk is native to eastern North America, along the coast of California, and northern to northeastern-central Mexico.
Did You Know?
Red-shouldered Hawks have distinctive red shoulder patches that give them their name, and they produce a distinctive two-note whistle that sounds like "kee-ahh" that carries through forests for considerable distances.
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