Red-shouldered Hawk

Red-shouldered Hawk (Juvenile)

Our back yard has become very quiet this week. After months of almost continuous calling from a family of Red-shouldered hawks, they appear to have moved on, although one has occasionally reappeared to circle over our yard. When I first heard the loud vocalization of this bird, I did not know what type of hawk it was. After several days of incessant calling, I decided to walk through our woods to see if I could catch a glimpse. Within a few minutes, a hawk flew right in front of me and then I spotted another perched stately on a tree. Although it must have known that I was there, it didn't appear threatened by my presence. Since I had seen two birds, I figured that they must have a nest nearby. It was not easy to see, but I eventually found the nest, sitting high in a tree across from a small pond.

Nest for Red-shouldered Hawks

I read that they like to live in forests with an open canopy and that they hunt from perches below the canopy or at the edge of a pond. The location of this nest was perfect for them.  The Birds of America by John James Audubon shows a picture of a Red-shouldered hawk hunting in their preferred habitat. The caption reads that they are beneficial since their diet is "largely composed of destructive rodents." The Cornell Lab All About Birds website reads that they also eat toads, snakes and crayfish.

Drawing of Red-shouldered Hawk from Audubon's The Birds of America

Although they can look similar to Broad-winged hawks, the distinct difference is their call. You have most likely heard a Red-shouldered hawk in the woods. Once you can identify its call you will probably realize how often you have heard them.




According to the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Red-shouldered hawks have shown a decline in population from 1966 - 2003. There are most likely various contributing factors, but one cause, as with many other species is habitat loss due to human's changing the landscape. Where these hawks were breeding in our back yard, they were surrounding by houses on four sides. We we have kept the woods intact as has one other neighbor. The other two property owners have cleared the trees for backyard playing areas and a swimming pool. These incremental changes, when the occur across the landscape can have wide-spread impacts to a species as a whole.We should all keep this in mind as we design and maintain our homes.