Species Spotlight: Red-Shouldered Hawk

Scientific Name: Beauteo lineatus

Appearance: medium sized hawk with long legs and toes, more slender than the red-tailed hawk. Back is mottled dark brown with rufous edging on feathers, at rest a rufous patch is evident at the shoulder. Underside of adult is rust colored with some white flecks, tail is black with white bars. Juveniles are similar to immature red tailed hawks, brown mottled over the back, breast is brown-streaked, tail is brown with black bars. Often the two species can be told apart by the tawny wash over the tail colors, sometimes a touch of red showing at the "shoulder" and the crescent shaped tawny area on the upper surface of the primaries next to the outer edge of the feathers.

Size: weight ranges from 1.1 to 1.9 pounds on average, females are larger than the males. Wingspan ranges from 37 - 42 inches, body from top of head to the tail averages 15 - 19 inches.

Range: From Canada down through Mexico. There are 4 recognized morphs that are linked to geographic regions: Eastern, Florida, Texas, and California, the appearance listed in the section above is for the Eastern morph.

Food Preferences: Mice, shrews, moles, squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, muskrat, opossum, skunk, small to medium birds, small snakes, toads, frogs, most insects.

Hunting Technique: Soars or hunts from a high perch in open wooded areas, swamps and the edges of forests. Can sometimes be seen hunting open fields.

Breeding: monogamous, mate for life. Highly territorial.

Nesting: platform type nest usually built in the crotch of a tree near the trunk. Nest is made of sticks, twigs, inner bark strips, dry leaves, moss, lichen, and conifer needles, and may be lined with broken apart pellets (fur coughed up after prey is eaten). Nest is built by both male and female.

Eggs: 2 - 4 (usually 3) white or bluish-white, frequently nest stained, marked with brown. 53 mm.

Chicks: Incubation lasts 28 days, chicks are helpless and naked when hatched, fledge 39-45 days later and are incubated, fed and cared for by both the male and female.

Status: populations seem to be stable throughout the US.

NOTES: The red-shouldered hawk will use a territory for many years, and when a mated pair takes up residence, all other red-shoulders except sometimes close family members are encouraged to leave. Frequent displays over territory are seen during mating season on until the chicks are out on their own. Humans are tolerated within a red-shoulder's territory, but large birds, especially crows, vultures and raptors are quickly challenged. This species is also frequently the recipient of mobbing by crows and blue jays, so "turn about is fair play" is definitely at work here! Blue Jays will also take advantage of the nervousness of songbirds by imitating a red-shouldered hawk's territorial call. When the songbirds dive for cover, the blue jay can then enjoy whatever food they may have been eating with no competition!

Kendra, Three Rivers Avian Center's educational Red Shouldered Hawk comes from Pipestem, WV in Summers County where she flew into a utility line and was found later by deer hunters. One of them was a teacher at a local Middle School who had seen our educational program. He brought her to us, but her elbow was so shattered from the impact that there was no repair that could make her fly again. She stays with us now and comes with us to public education programs . She is an adult, but we are unsure how old.