Sharp-shinned Hawks are small, secretive hawks that can be found throughout most of North America. They are a relatively common backyard bird, especially during fall and winter when they migrate to more southern regions. Sharp-shinned Hawks are notorious for being aggressive birds of prey, often drawing the ire of small bird lovers for their raids on feeders full of tasty songbirds. However, behind their fierce nature lies an effective and challenging style of hunting that helps the Sharp-shinned Hawk survive.
What do Sharp-shinned Hawks look like?
Sharp-shinned Hawks are petite hawks, with adults reaching lengths of only 9-13 inches and weights of just 4-8 ounces. They have short, rounded wings and a long, square-tipped tail. Their coloring can be variable, with slender brown horizontal barring across a white chest and belly. The back is dark blue-gray. The head often looks too small for the body, and the eyes are orange.
Males and females have distinct plumages. Males are slightly smaller and have blue-gray backs and rusty bars on the undersides. Females are larger with brown backs and less pronounced rusty barring below. Immature sharp-shins are brown above and streaked below. In all forms, the legs are long and yellow, and the feet small but powerful.
While small, Sharp-shinned Hawks share the classic accipiter shape with their larger relatives the Cooper’s Hawk and Northern Goshawk. They have a rounded head that sits lower than the shoulders, creating a distinctive flight silhouette.
Where do Sharp-shinned Hawks live?
Sharp-shinned Hawks breed across Canada and the northern United States. They prefer dense boreal and montane forests, often nesting in conifers like pines, firs, and spruces.
During fall and winter, most Sharp-shinned Hawks migrate south to more open woods, forest edges, and semi-open areas. They can be found throughout the continental United States and Mexico during the non-breeding months.
Some individuals remain as year-round residents in parts of their breeding range in western North America. But most Sharp-shinned Hawks are migratory to some degree.
What do Sharp-shinned Hawks eat?
The diet of Sharp-shinned Hawks consists almost exclusively of small birds. True to their name, these little accipiters have slim, sharp talons that are adept at catching songbirds on the wing.
Some of the most common prey items include sparrows, finches, warblers, wrens, nuthatches, juncos, blackbirds, jays, doves, and woodpeckers. Basically any small bird that a Sharp-shinned Hawk can get its talons around is potential prey.
Sharp-shins often hunt by watching for activity at bird feeders, baths, or other areas where birds congregate. With speedy surprise attacks, they plunge out of cover and grab an unsuspecting bird with their talons. The element of surprise is key, as most songbirds can outmaneuver a Sharp-shinned Hawk in sustained flight.
In addition to birds, Sharp-shinned Hawks occasionally prey on small mammals like chipmunks, squirrels, mice, bats, and insects. But avian prey likely makes up over 90% of their typical diet across most of their range.
How do Sharp-shinned Hawks hunt?
As specialists on catching songbirds on the wing, Sharp-shinned Hawks have evolved a suite of physical and behavioral adaptations for hunting:
- Short, rounded wings provide excellent maneuverability and burst speed through cluttered habitats.
- Long legs and toes help grab fast moving prey.
- Stealthy ambush attacks rely on surprise and acceleration.
- Perch hunt frequently near bird feeders, baths, and other hot spots.
- Migrate along coasts and across land using concentrations of small birds.
Their hunting strategy is well-suited for taking birds by surprise with quick bursts of speed. Most kills are made within about 30 feet of the hawk’s perch or cover.
Are Sharp-shinned Hawks aggressive?
Given their propensity for targeting backyard songbirds, Sharp-shinned Hawks are generally considered one of the more aggressive hawk species by bird enthusiasts. Their attacks can seem menacing, as they single out individuals and pursue them relentlessly.
However, Sharp-shinned Hawks are not aggressive in the sense of being hostile. They are not looking for a fight and attack only to kill prey for food. Some specific signs that Sharp-shinned Hawks are aggressive but not hostile:
- They appear suddenly, attack with surprise, and do not confront prey.
- They are only responsive to movement and sounds of prey items.
- They are not territorial and attacks are linked to hunger, not defense.
- They flee from threats and only attack prey much smaller than themselves.
So while their hunting strategy feels confrontational to us, Sharp-shinned Hawks are not acting with anger or picking fights. They are simply hunting in an effective, adapted way that targets the abundant food source of small birds. Their aggression is limited to the context of securing their next meal.
How can I protect birds from Sharp-shinned Hawks?
If Sharp-shinned Hawks are frequenting your yard and targeting songbirds, there are a few tactics you can try to reduce hawk attacks:
- Place feeders in more open areas further from cover.
- Avoid feeding stations that concentrate large numbers of birds.
- Install specially designed hawk-deterrent feeders and shelters.
- Use metal poles and baffles to prevent hawks from perching.
- Consider not feeding birds during peak migration periods.
- Scare off hawks with loud noises or water sprayed from a hose.
- Keep cats indoors so they do not stress birds and make them more vulnerable.
However, it is important to remember that Sharp-shinned Hawks are native, natural predators playing an important ecological role. Their presence indicates a healthy ecosystem, and eliminating them entirely from your yard is not practical or ethical.
Finding a balance through feeder placement and design is a more sustainable approach than attempting to exclude Sharp-shinned Hawks at all costs. Some predation will still occur, reminding us that our backyards remain linked to the broader natural food web.
Interesting facts about Sharp-shinned Hawks
- They have a large range but are uncommon in most areas, with a stable global population estimated at just 1 million birds.
- The oldest known wild Sharp-shinned Hawk was 17 years, 7 months old when it was found in Massachusetts.
- Young sharp-shins have a nearly 50% mortality rate during their first year of life.
- These birds were called “bird hawk” or “pigeon hawk” by early American colonists.
- Sharp-shinned Hawks sometimes nest cooperatively, with up to three breeding adults at one nest.
- They migrate during the day and hunt for food along the way to fuel up for travel.
- Most Sharp-shinned Hawks breed for the first time at one year of age.
- The current global population is increasing after range-wide declines from pesticide use in the mid 1900s.
- Sharp-shinned Hawks are the smallest accipiter hawk in most of North America.
- They were considered a symbol of valor by some Native American tribes who admired their hunting prowess.
Population and conservation status
After suffering declines linked to the use of DDT and other pesticides in the 1940s-1960s, Sharp-shinned Hawk populations decreased by up to 80% in some regions. Following the ban on DDT in 1972, their numbers have steadily increased again across North America as forests recovered.
The global population is now estimated at 1 million individuals and is listed as a species of Least Concern by the IUCN. Partners in Flight estimates a global breeding population of 640,000 sharp-shins. Due to their large range and increasing population trend, the species rates an 8 out of 20 on the Continental Concern Score by Partners in Flight.
While still common, threats such as habitat loss and predation from larger hawks can negatively impact breeding success and survival rates. Prey availability is also a key factor driving populations. Overall the long-term outlook for the Sharp-shinned Hawk remains stable as it adapts well to human-altered habitats when sufficient prey is present.
Conclusion
The Sharp-shinned Hawk deserves its reputation as an aggressive little hunter that can wreak havoc at backyard bird feeders. However, its specialized adaptations and focused hunting strategy are key to its survival. While frustrating to some bird lovers, the presence of Sharp-shinned Hawks indicates a healthy and complete avian ecosystem. Managing bird feeders responsibly remains the best approach for deterring Sharp-shinned Hawks while respecting their role as a native predator. Their future remains bright as populations steadily recover across North America.
