How to Identify aSharp-shinned Hawk
Accipiter striatus · 9.4–13.4 in (24–34 cm)
Male vs. female
Male
Blue-gray above with fine rusty barring below and a squared, narrowly white-tipped tail.
Female
Same pattern but noticeably larger — up to a third bigger than the male.
Male photo: ALAN SCHMIERER from near Patagonia, AZ, USA / Wikimedia, CC0 · Second photo: Paul Danese / Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Field marks
- Squared or notched tail tip with a thin white edge
- Small head that barely projects beyond the wings in flight
- Fine rusty bars across white underparts
- Very thin, pencil-like legs
Similar species
What it sounds like
A shrill, rapid "kik-kik-kik", usually heard only near the nest.
Behaviour that gives it away
Hunts small birds by surprise, using cover to approach and often ambushing feeders in a single fast dash.
Habitat & range
Forest and wooded edges across North America, and suburban yards in winter where feeders concentrate small birds.
When you'll see it
Depending on where in North America you are, it is a winter visitor and a passage migrant, seen mainly in spring and autumn.
What it eats
Small songbirds caught in flight, plus some small mammals and insects.
Did you know?
Females are so much larger than males that the two sexes hunt noticeably different sizes of prey.
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