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Natural History

Habitat

Red-shouldered hawks are forest raptors. In the east, they live in bottomland hardwood stands, flooded deciduous swamps, and upland mixed deciduous–conifer forests. They tend to live in stands with an open subcanopy, which makes hunting easier. They are not exclusively birds of deep forest, though; one can find red-shouldered hawks in some suburban areas where houses or other buildings are mixed into woodlands. In the west, they live in riparian and oak woodlands, and also in eucalyptus groves and some residential areas.

Food

Red-shouldered Hawks prefer to hunt from a perch in the forest understory; they also fly low through the forest, pouncing on prey in a stealthy surprise attack. Aquatic and semi-aquatic animals, particularly frogs, small fish, snakes, and crayfish, are mainstays of the Red-shouldered diet, but the birds will also catch lizards, rodents, smaller birds, and large insects.

Nesting

They are also noisy while courting. During one courtship display, a pair soars in broad circles while giving a series of three to four screaming kee-aah calls. Males also vocalize during a solo display, circling high into the air, then descending in a steep dive, followed by a rapid, spiraling ascent. After mating, both birds of a pair build a large stick nest, which they often reuse from year to year. Laying primarily occurs between March and early April. Red-shouldered hawks only have one brood per season and usually lay two to five eggs. Both parents aggressively defend the nest and incubate the eggs. The female broods the chicks during their nestling stage, while the male brings food to the nest. Both parents feed the young after they fledge.

Migration

In the East, individuals from the northern half of the species’ range are migratory. In the West, most populations are sedentary. Birds in central and southern states don't tend to migrate, although some Red-shouldered Hawks do spend winters in Mexico. Birds on the West Coast are mostly nonmigratory.

More Photographs

Adult Red-Shouldered Hawk

The adult Red-shouldered hawk is brilliantly rufous underneath with faint white barring below and fine dark streaking on body.

Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk

California juveniles have dense barring below, rufous streaked breast and adult like flight feathers.

Red-shouldered Hawk from Behind

All Red-shouldered hawks have pale, translucent, comma-shaped markings across the outer wing. Pale commas are obvious from above and from below when backlit. The tail is boldly banded black and white.

Red-Shouldered Hawk Side View

The tail is relatively long. Note the finely barred reddish chest.