Birds
Red-Shouldered Hawk
Buteo lineatus · also called red-shouldered hawks
A sharp “kee-aah” rings out from a swampy forest edge, and it takes a careful listener to tell whether it came from an actual red-shouldered hawk or from a blue jay putting on a remarkably convincing impression.
Overview
The red-shouldered hawk, Buteo lineatus, is a forest-dwelling raptor native to wooded and wetland-edge habitat across the eastern United States and parts of California. Its unusual preference for hunting within dense forest, distinctive and widely mimicked call, and lifelong pair bonds make it one of the more behaviourally interesting and vocally recognisable hawks in North America.
A hawk that chose the forest over the sky
While most of its Buteo relatives soar over open fields scanning for prey, the red-shouldered hawk has settled into a quieter life within the trees, hunting from perches deep in wooded, often waterlogged habitat.
Status
Least Concern — widespread and stable across suitable forest and wetland habitat throughout the eastern United States and parts of California.
Red-Shouldered Hawk: common questions
Why does the blue jay mimic the red-shouldered hawk's call?
This species produces a sharp, repeated "kee-aah" call distinctive enough that blue jays are well known to imitate it, a mimicry behaviour that may help jays clear feeding areas of competitors or alert other birds, sometimes fooling human listeners just as effectively.
Why is the red-shouldered hawk considered unusual among Buteo hawks?
Most hawks in its broader family favour open country for hunting, but the red-shouldered hawk instead prefers hunting from within dense, often wet forest habitat, a less typical strategy that sets it apart from more open-country relatives like Swainson's hawk.
Do red-shouldered hawks stay with the same mate?
Yes, a red-shouldered hawk pair typically mates for life and will return to and reuse the same nest site across multiple breeding seasons, a level of nest-site fidelity common among long-lived raptors.
Where is the best place to find a red-shouldered hawk?
This species shows a particular affinity for wooded areas near water, including swamps, river corridors, and other wetland-adjacent forest habitat, making these damp, forested locations the most reliable places to look for one.