Gary Helm
The Red-shouldered Hawk (Juvenile)
The Red-shouldered Hawk inhabits a broad array of North American forests, but favors mature, mixed deciduous-coniferous woodlands, especially bottomland hardwood, riparian areas, and flooded deciduous swamps. In the West, this species prefers riparian and oak (Quercus spp.) woodlands, but is also found in eucalyptus groves and suburban areas with nearby woodlots.
This hawk generally hunts from a perch, waiting for its prey to reveal itself and then swooping down to snatch it from the ground or water surface. The Red-shoulder's diet is broad, although small mammals (especially chipmunks, mice, and voles), frogs, and snakes comprise the bulk of its diet in most areas. Birds, crayfish, and insects are key food items in certain areas and seasons.
Distinguished by its “red” shoulder patches, black-and-white checkered flight feathers (seen from above), and translucent, crescent-shaped wing panel in the outer primaries (seen from below when the wing is backlit), the Red-shouldered Hawk has been well surveyed at hawk watch locations throughout North America. It is a partial migrant, with only northernmost populations moving south for winter.
Found this juvenile along Joe Overstreet Road in Osceola County. Florida.
The Red-shouldered Hawk (Juvenile)
The Red-shouldered Hawk inhabits a broad array of North American forests, but favors mature, mixed deciduous-coniferous woodlands, especially bottomland hardwood, riparian areas, and flooded deciduous swamps. In the West, this species prefers riparian and oak (Quercus spp.) woodlands, but is also found in eucalyptus groves and suburban areas with nearby woodlots.
This hawk generally hunts from a perch, waiting for its prey to reveal itself and then swooping down to snatch it from the ground or water surface. The Red-shoulder's diet is broad, although small mammals (especially chipmunks, mice, and voles), frogs, and snakes comprise the bulk of its diet in most areas. Birds, crayfish, and insects are key food items in certain areas and seasons.
Distinguished by its “red” shoulder patches, black-and-white checkered flight feathers (seen from above), and translucent, crescent-shaped wing panel in the outer primaries (seen from below when the wing is backlit), the Red-shouldered Hawk has been well surveyed at hawk watch locations throughout North America. It is a partial migrant, with only northernmost populations moving south for winter.
Found this juvenile along Joe Overstreet Road in Osceola County. Florida.