Sharp-shinned Hawk
Accipiter striatus
Accipiter striatus 4
The Sharp-shinned Hawk is often confused with its slightly larger relative, the Cooper’s Hawk. Both species are blue-gray above and streaked rusty-red below with long tails, yellow legs, and small, hooked beaks. However, the Sharp-shinned Hawk has a squared-off tail (Cooper’s Hawks have rounded tails), and is slightly smaller at 10-14 inches long. The Sharp-shinned Hawk displays the greatest difference in size between males and females (called sexual dimorphism) of any raptor in North America, with females weighing almost twice as much as males. The Sharp-shinned Hawk is also a more local breeder than the Cooper’s Hawk. While that species breeds across the United States and southern Canada, the Sharp-shinned Hawk’s main breeding range is restricted to the Canadian sub-arctic and higher elevation areas of the Appalachians and Rockies. This species migrates south in winter, when it may be found more widely across the U.S. In its range, the Sharp-shinned Hawk is among the most adaptable raptors. While usually found in forest habitats, this species has expanded into human-altered landscapes and now frequents towns and suburbs as well. The Sharp-shinned Hawk, like all ‘bird hawks,’ is capable of hunting birds (on the ground, in trees, or in flight) from the air. This species frequently enters yards to take small songbirds from feeders. With the aid of binoculars, Sharp-shinned Hawks may be seen perched in trees while scanning for prey. However, they are often more easily seen in the air while moving between perches or while actively hunting. As this species hunts by sight, it is only active during the day.
Conservation status 5
Sharp-shinned hawk populations experienced declines between the 1940’s and the 1970’s. The pesticide DDT caused eggshell thinning in many raptors and reduced the success of breeding pairs (eggs were often crushed underneath incubating parents). Conservation concerns today include declines in prey species, environmental contaminants and the fragmentation and reduction of contiguous forest habitat.
Sharp-shinned hawks are protected under the US Migratory Bird Treaty Act and are listed as Appendix II by CITES.
US Migratory Bird Act: protected
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: appendix ii
State of Michigan List: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
Habitat 6
Sharp-shinned hawks are forest birds. They are found in pine, fir and aspen forests (among others). They can be found hunting in forest interior and edges from sea level to near alpine areas. Sharp-shinned hawks can also be found near rural, suburban and agricultural areas, where they often hunt at bird feeders.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; tropical ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: forest
Other Habitat Features: suburban ; agricultural
Sources and Credits
- (c) Rick Leche - Photography, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/rick_leche/3116093041/
- (c) Kyle Jones, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8367/8556988015_288634bc1e_o.jpg
- (c) Dario Sanches from SÃO PAULO, BRASIL, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/Accipiter_erythronemius_Horto_Florestal_de_Sao_Paulo%2C_Brazil_2-crop.jpg
- Adapted by Natalie LaScala from a work by (c) Smithsonian Institution, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/34818335
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31374479
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31374469
