Today's featured feathered friend is the Red-Shouldered Hawk. This medium-sized raptor can be found year round across most of the eastern United States. Identifying hawks can be difficult, but the Red-Shouldered's distinctive loud call helps nail down its I.D.
They have brownish heads, reddish chests and pale bellies with reddish bars. Their tails are marked with narrow white bars. The red "shoulders" are visible when they are perched. The upper parts are dark with pale spots and they have long yellow legs. Males are 17 inches in length, weigh about 1.2 pounds and have a wingspan of around 37 inches. Like most other raptor species, females are larger than males. Females can be several inches longer, weighs about 1.5 pounds and have wider wingspans.
They prey mostly on small mammals, lizards, snakes and amphibians. They occasionally eat birds, sometimes from feeders. We have witnessed several hawk attacks in our backyard and sadly, lost a few Mourning Doves. To help protect the smaller birds, we have moved the feeders and most of the baths to the edge of the yard, where shrubs and small trees offer them shelter. When Florida Scrub-Jays are present, one of them acts as a "sentinel" (one that keeps guard). If the sentinel spots a hawk it gives a warning call and all the birds head for cover.
Click on the links below for more information and enjoy these photos of the Red-Shouldered Hawk.....tweet....tweet!!
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| Perched and calling (Taken 12/24/11, Englewood Sports Complex, Englewood FL) |
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| A birds eye view of The Celery Fields (Taken 9/5/13, The Celery Fields, Sarasota FL) |
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| A field mouse for lunch. (Taken 6/12/13, The Celery Fields, Sarasota FL) |
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