Sharp-shinned Hawks are the smallest species of hawk in North America. Despite their size, these raptors are adept hunters with excellent eyesight. Sharp-shinned Hawks are incredible flyers. They are able to glide through dense forests and grab their songbird prey out of the air. They also feed on reptiles, insects, and rodents on the ground. You can spot them swooping through forested areas or out in the open–alternating between rapid flutters and graceful glides.

Sharp-shinned Hawks are slate gray on top, with speckled red and white-breasts. Their eyes are red. They have long, squared-off tails that fan out a bit when they fly. Female Sharp-shinned Hawks are substantially larger than males.

Sharp-shinned Hawks are one of the largest species we catch at Creamer’s Field Migration Station, though usually we only capture a few each year: since 1992, fewer than 200 individuals have been banded. While we can band and collect similar data from Sharp-shinned Hawks much like we do our smaller songbirds, we have to take a bit more care while handling them thanks to their sharp talons!