Species

Red-shouldered hawk

Buteo lineatus

A noisy, colourful woodland hawk whose loud 'kee-rah' rings through Georgia's river swamps and suburbs.

Photo Paul Danese (opens in a new tab) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab)

At a glance

Size: About 43 to 61 cm long
Weight: About 490 to 780 g
Habitat: Wet woods, river swamps and wooded suburbs
Diet: Frogs, snakes, lizards, rodents, crayfish and small birds
In Georgia: Common resident statewide
Voice: A loud, repeated "kee-rah"
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Rusty barred underparts; checked black-and-white back and wings; black tail with narrow white bands; pale crescents near the wingtips in flight
Told apart from: Red-tailed hawk, which has a pale breast and a brick-red tail
Told apart from: Broad-winged hawk, which is smaller with broad white tail bands
Where to look: Perched on wires and branches near wet woods

Behaviour

Red-shouldered hawks hunt from perches, dropping on frogs, snakes and small mammals. They are noisy, calling often in spring. Blue jays sometimes imitate their calls.

Why they matter

Red-shouldered hawks are key predators in wet woodlands, eating many snakes, frogs and rodents. They have adapted to wooded suburbs and are one of the hawks most Georgians hear.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A platform of sticks in a tall tree, often reused
Eggs — Usually three or four
Incubation — About 33 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Flight — At about six weeks
Lifespan — Wild birds over twenty years are recorded

Living around people

Red-shouldered hawks nest in yard trees and may swoop at people near the nest.
Rodent poisons kill hawks that eat poisoned rodents.
Hawks are often hit by cars while hunting along roadsides.

Misconceptions

Hawks near homes are after chickens and pets. Red-shouldered hawks eat mostly frogs, snakes and rodents.

Related species

Seasonal activity

When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Breeding	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Active nests	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Notes	Pairs calling	Nest building	Incubating	Chicks	Chicks	Young fledging	Young begging nearby	Young independent	Present	Present	Present	Pairs calling

Where it lives

Recorded in 53 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

Canada

Mexico

If you found one

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