The Red-shouldered Hawk is a buteo of eastern North America, with an isolated population along the West Coast. It is a woodland hawk, hunting beneath the canopy of northeastern forest or southern hardwood swamp. The Red-shouldered Hawk is larger than the Broad-winged Hawk which frequents forested edge, and smaller than the more aggressive Red-tailed Hawk which requires a semi-open forest or a patchwork of openings and clearings. The Red-tailed Hawk will drive out Red-shouldered Hawks from areas where the two species come into contact. Thus, the Red-shouldered Hawk has suffered population declines as forested land across the eastern United States and southeastern Canada becomes more fragmented due to human development.
The Red-shouldered Hawk is an attractive hawk, showing pale crescent shaped "windows" near the tips of its wings. The nominate race, Buteo lineatus lineatus, is patterned with rufous on underparts, shoulders, and wing linings. Its primaries and secondaries are boldly checkered with black-and-white, and its tail is black with white bands, making this species relatively easy to identify in its adult plumage. It drops onto its prey from elevated perches and also flaps and glides in direct accipiter-like attacks.
SIZE
The Red-shouldered Hawk is a medium-sized to large buteo. Females are slightly larger and heavier than males. Lengths range between 19 and 24 inches (48 and 61 centimeters) for females and 17 and 23 inches (43 and 58 centimeters) for males. Wingspans average 133 inches (339 centimeters) for females and 126 inches (321 centimeters) for males. Weights average about 1.5 pounds (700 grams) for females and about 1.2 pounds (550 grams) for males. Size decreases toward the south and the west of this species' range.
MORPHS
There are no color morphs for the Red-shouldered Hawk but full albinism has been reported.
SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION
Eastern (lineatus) Adult - Flight
- appears to have long wings and tail
- rufous barred underparts contrast with white undertail coverts
- underwings two toned with rufous wing linings and black and white barred flight feathers
- both wing surfaces show a "window" or "crescent" of white barring near base of outer primaries; visible from above and below
- black-and-white banded tail (three to four white bands)
- flaps like an accipiter
Eastern (lineatus) Immature - Flight
- appears to have long wings and tail
- brown above and creamy below
- streaked underparts, concentrated in chest region
- generally pale underwing; rusty buff linings and palely barred flight feathers. Has most faintly barred flight feathers of all five races
- tawny colored panel, "window", or "crescent" at base of outer primaries; visible from above and below
- under side of tail gray and white tail bands except for rufous inner tail bands
- flaps like an accipiter
SIMILAR SPECIES
The Northern Goshawk and the Cooper's Hawk are superficially similar but are accipiters, with short wings and long, slender tails. The immature Red-tailed Hawk is similar to the Red-shouldered Hawk immature but it almost always has dark patagial marks on the leading edge of the inner wing. Generally, immature Red-tailed Hawks have very narrow dark bands on their tails while immature Red-shouldered Hawks have very narrow gray bands. The adult Broad-winged Hawk is much smaller (crow-sized) than a Red-shouldered Hawk. However, the two species can be hard to tell apart. A Broad-winged Hawk's tail bands are of equal width, while a Red-shouldered Hawk has wider black bands and narrow white ones. The adult Red-shouldered Hawk shows a rufous shoulder. Immature Broad-winged Hawks can be very difficult to tell from immature Red-shouldereds. The upper tail surface on the Broad-winged Hawk immature is light with dark bands while that of the Red-shouldered is dark with light bands.
OTHER NAMES
The Red-shouldered Hawk is often referred to as the Red-bellied Hawk.
Most of the other common names for this species refer to its subspecies. Usually these are named according to where they are found. These include: (1) "Eastern" or "Northern" Red-shouldered Hawk (B. l. lineatus), (2) "Gulf Coast" or "Florida" Red-shouldered Hawk (B. l. alleni), (3) "Florida" or "Keys" Red-shouldered Hawk (B. l. extimus), (4) "Texas" Red-shouldered Hawk (B. l. texanus), and (5) "California", "Western", or "Red-bellied" Red-shouldered Hawk.
The California race (elegans) was formerly considered a separate species.
ETYMOLOGY
The scientific name Buteo lineatus translates into "hawk or falcon" (Buteo - Latin) that is "striped" (lineatus - Latin).
MYTHOLOGY
There is no mythology recorded for this species in North America.
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