The Sharp Shinned Hawk

Among the most consistently seen wildlife in Baltimore Woods are birds of prey. The Sharp Shinned hawk is one species you might not be as familiar with. It is a small hawk that prefers woodlands, thickets and edge habitats although it has adapted to urban areas where prey is plentiful. This quintessential woodland predator is a “perch and scan” hunter according to wildlife biologists. They sit quietly on a tree branch and swoop in when a meal comes within striking distance. Its prey are mostly birds of about sparrow size up to robin size, sometimes up to the size of quail. It also eats small numbers of rodents, bats, squirrels, lizards, frogs, snakes, and large insects.

Adults have solid gray upper parts and barred, reddish-brown underparts. Their long, square tails have gray and black bars with very narrow, white tips. Their eyes are red. Immature birds are brown above with diffuse brown streaking below; they have yellow eyes. Sharp-shinned Hawks have short, rounded wings that are set slightly more forward on their bodies than those of the larger, but similar-looking, Cooper’s Hawk. In size, the Sharp Shinned is slightly smaller than the Cooper’s and slightly larger than the American Kestrel. One of its distinguishing features is quicker, snappier wingbeats. It also prefers to breed secretively in extensive forests.

Sharp Shinned hawks sometimes stalk urban bird feeders in search of prey, so if you see one too often near your feeder, it’s best to take the feeders inside for a few days until it moves on.

The sight of this bird and other birds of prey in Baltimore Woods are a reminder that natural areas (and bird feeders!) in an urban area can provide rich habitat and prey that are essential for their survival.