Bird
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Accipiter striatusAlso known as Sharpie, Northern Sharp-shinned Hawk, Little Blue Darter
Sharp-shinned hawks are secretive, agile woodland predators that specialize in capturing small songbirds on the wing. Females are nearly a third larger than males, allowing mated pairs to pursue distinctly different prey sizes within the same nesting territory. During autumn, thousands gather along mountain ridges and coastlines to ride thermal updrafts during migration.
DiurnalRaptorMigratory
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyWarblers, Sparrows, Thrushes
Predators
- Great Horned Owl
- Red-tailed Hawk
- Peregrine Falcon
ThreatsWindow collisions, habitat loss, environmental contaminants
HabitatsConiferous forests, mixed woodlands, suburban yards, forest edges
Life span3–10 years
Classification
- FamilyAccipitridae
- SpeciesAccipiter striatus
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Equipped with sharp talons and beak; keep a safe distance and never attempt handling.
Responsible observation
- Feeder Placement: Locate bird feeders near dense brush so songbirds have escape cover.
- Field ID: Look for a notched, squared-off tail profile during flight or perching.
- Window Safety: Apply visual decals to windows to prevent high-speed avian collisions.
Competitor (c) Jonathan Eisen, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Jonathan Eisen · cc-by
Prey Rhododendrites / CC BY-SA 4.0 · cc-by-sa
Close Relative "Cooper's Hawk - immature" by Kaaren Perry is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/. · cc-by
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