Species

Sharp-shinned hawk

Accipiter striatus

A small, agile hawk that hunts songbirds with sudden dashes, often at backyard feeders in winter.

Photo Troy B (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab)

Predation

At a glance

Size: About 24 to 34 cm long
Weight: About 90 to 220 g
Habitat: Woods, towns and yards with feeders in winter
Diet: Small birds; some small mammals and insects
In Georgia: A fairly common winter visitor; a few breed in the mountains
Voice: A sharp "kik-kik-kik"
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Small hawk; short rounded wings; long, square-tipped tail; small head; adults blue-grey above with orange barring below
Told apart from: Cooper's hawk, which is larger with a rounded tail tip and larger head
Where to look: Near bird feeders and woodland edges in winter

Behaviour

Sharp-shinned hawks ambush songbirds, flying fast through branches and around buildings. Females are much larger than males.

Why they matter

Sharp-shinned hawks keep songbird flocks alert and take weak or sick birds. Their numbers are counted every autumn at hawk-watching sites, and they were among the birds that recovered after DDT was banned.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A platform of sticks in a dense conifer
Eggs — Usually four or five
Incubation — About 30 to 35 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Flight — At about four weeks
Lifespan — Several years

Living around people

A hawk hunting at a feeder is doing what hawks do; taking feeders down for a week or two if it becomes a regular visitor moves it on.
Hawks chasing birds sometimes hit windows; window decals help both hawks and songbirds.

Misconceptions

Hawks at feeders should be scared off for the birds' sake. They take few birds, and mostly the slowest; the rest stay alert.

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	Wintering	Wintering	Leaving	Last migrants	Nesting in the mountains and farther north	Nesting	Chicks	Young flying	Migrants arriving	Peak migration	Wintering	Wintering

Where it lives

Recorded in 91 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

United States

Canada

If you found one

Answer a few questions and you will get a specific answer for what you are looking at.

I found an animal