Red-shouldered Hawk families busy SC Lowcountry neighbors

You may hear a Red-shouldered Hawk even before you spot it high overhead.

Its loud, piercing alarm call (“kee-aah”), heard especially in spring, signals alarm and also advertises its breeding territory.

Like other “buteos,” such as Broad-winged and Red-tailed Hawks, Red-shouldered Hawks have broad wings and a fan-shaped tail — adaptations for soaring and for riding thermals. Look for their brownish or chestnut-colored chest and back, plus light and dark bars on the tail and outstretched wings.

Red-shouldered Hawks are smaller than Red-tailed Hawks, but they still have an impressive wingspan, reaching 50 inches or so. The red “shoulders” are more easily seen when they’re perched.

In South Carolina the species occurs year-round in mixed forests, wooded stream banks, and flooded deciduous swamps. But you’ll also see Red-shouldered Hawks in suburban areas near trees and water, perching on fence posts, mailboxes, even the tops of cars as they search for prey.

Food items include small mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians, plus crayfish and insects.

Pairs construct bulky stick nests in trees, adding moss and other softer materials as liner. The female lays three or four eggs. She does most of the incubation, sometimes spelled off by the male, who also delivers food to her and the nestlings.

Once they’re five to six weeks old, young hawks leave the nest but remain dependent on their parents for the next few months. They don’t reproduce till they’re a year or two old.

Currently, Red-shouldered Hawk populations are relatively stable, but the species still faces threats from pesticides, cars, power lines, and especially the loss of habitat.