Bird Gallery Index

Red-shouldered Hawk image © Alan Murphy

Family: (Accipitridae) Hawks and Allies

Preferred Habitat:Moist deciduous woodlands and forests; often near water.

Seasonal Occurrence: Common throughout the year. Breeds in our area.

Notes: The Red-shouldered Hawk often looks more like an Accipiter than a Buteo in flight as it often flies with several quick flaps and then a glide. Diagnostic marks for this hawk when in flight are the narrow black and white bands on its tail and a thin white crescent near the tips of its wings. Red-shouldered Hawks tend to be noisy with a repeated, raspy kee-yar call. Juveniles are browner than their parents and their tail bars are not as wide. It is our most common hawk in summer. Bear Creek Park in west Houston is an excellent area to spot them. On the Upper Texas Coast Red-shouldered Hawks are permanent residents and do not migrate.
- Susan Billetdeaux