Whether wheeling over a swamp forest or whistling plaintively from a riverine park, a Red-shouldered Hawk is typically a sign of tall woods and water.
It’s one of our most distinctively marked common hawks, with barred reddish-peachy underparts and a strongly banded tail. In flight, translucent crescents near the wingtips help to identify the species at a distance.
These forest hawks hunt prey ranging from mice to frogs and snakes. Cornell All About Birds
The Red-shouldered Hawk is probably my most favourite hawk. Usually uncommon in this area it seems as though it has become a more common sighting in the last few years. While camping in the Everglades we were awaken most mornings by their whistling calls.
They usually hunt from a perch either in a forest or open area. Sometimes they fly very low over open areas hunting for prey.
Diet consists of small mammals like voles and chipmunks, birds, reptiles and toads and frogs.
