Web sponsorship and design courtesy of Wild Birds Unlimited, Inc.

Sharp-shinned Hawk

(Accipiter striatus)

General Information

The Sharp-shinned Hawk, a robin-sized accipiter very similar to the larger, Crow-sized Cooper’s Hawk, is the smallest North American accipiter. A bird of remote dense forests, they breed across Canada and parts of the USA, and winter across the USA south through Central America south to Panama and the Bahamas.

This raptor is the scourge of many backyard bird feeding enthusiasts, especially in winter months, when they flash through backyards to snatch an unwary songbird from a feeding station. They can also be a problem at a banding station when, as this individual did, they attempt to take songbirds caught in nets or traps and themselves get caught.

The Sharp-shinned Hawk is from 10 to 14 inches long, with a wingspan of from 20 to 27 inches. The body is long and slender. The male is smaller than the female.

Figure 1 - Male Sharp-shinned Hawk

Figure 2 - Male Sharp-shinned Hawk

The eyes of the Sharp-shinned Hawk are yellow to deep red. The hooked bill is well adapted to tearing the flesh of its favorite prey of small birds, mice, bats, frogs, grasshoppers, moths and other insects.

The back of the adult bird is blue gray, and the tail, crossed by several dark bands, has a square or slightly notched tip.

Figure 3 - Sharp-shinned Hawk

Figure 4 - Sharp-shinned Hawk

Upperparts of a young birds are brown.

This close-up of the upper wing shows the color patterns and the strong emargination of the primary flight feathers.

Figure 5 - Sharp-shinned Hawk

Nesting Behavior

The Sharp-shinned Hawk builds a platform nest of twigs from 10 to 60 feet above ground level in a tree located in a densely wooded area. From 4 to 5 eggs, incubated by both the male and female, hatch in about 5 weeks. After the eggs hatch, the male brings food to the female who then feeds and cares for the young. The young leave the nest after four to five weeks. Parents continue to provide food until the young become independent at about 4 weeks.

Banding Recoveries

The Bird Banding Lab web site reports that between 1955 and 1997, a total of 294,711 Sharp-shinned Hawks were banded. Of these, 3,488 have been recovered, a recovery rate of 1.83%. Banding studies show that Sharp-shinned Hawks can live more than 12 years in the wild. They are migratory, and winter across most of the USA south to Panama and the Bahamas.

If you should recover a banded bird, please report the band number to the Bird Banding Lab by calling 1-800-327-BAND.

Economic Importance &
Conservation Status

Sharp-shinned Hawks suffered drastic population declines that were noted in the early 1970’s. This was likely due to the impact of pesticides on breeding success. Populations are recovering, but recent declines have been noted in migratory counts in the NE USA. This hawk often visits backyard feeding stations, especially during winter months, to take an occasional unwary songbird, but by doing so will regulate populations of songbirds without harming breeding populations.

Back to Top | Back to Bird Photos Menu

All images are courtesy of CWBO. All image copyrights are owned by CWBO. Any use of these images must have permission of CWBO.

Home | Espaņol | Where We Are | Contact Us
Copyright 1997-2009 Chipper Woods Bird Observatory, Inc. All Rights Reserved