Red-shouldered Hawk: how to recognise it
A bird of North America. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © spinomaly · CC BY-NC · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Buteo lineatus
- Family
- Hawks, Eagles, and Kites
- Size
- About 48 cm
- Habitat
- Wet woods
- Found in
- North America
The key marks
Rusty barred underparts, reddish shoulders and a black-and-white banded tail. Red-tailed Hawk has a plain red tail and a dark belly band.
Voice
A loud, descending 'kee-aah'.
Good to know
Its loud 'kee-aah' is often imitated by Blue Jays.
Do not confuse with
Compare it with the Red-tailed Hawk. Look at the marks above one by one rather than the overall colour, and practise telling the two apart with real photos.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in wet woods. It is especially common in Florida, Texas, the United States and California. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.