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Buteo lineatus (Gmelin, 1788)
Red Shouldered Hawk
Florida native
Red shouldered hawks range throughout the central and eastern United States and west of the Sierra Nevada in California. Most are year-round residents, but there is also a population that breeds in the northeast United States and the adjacent area of Canada and then migrates to Mexico for the winter.
Smaller than red-tailed hawks, Buteo lineatus is usually found in or near wet woodlands hunting mainly mammals, some reptiles and amphibians - typically by dropping on the prey from perches. Females are typically larger than males. They are one of the most vocal hawks in North America.
There are five subspecies of B. lineatus. The two found in Florida are paler than the others, with the hawks in south Florida being the palest. The California population is a separate subspecies from the four eastern forms.
Buteo lineatus is a member of the Accipitridae - Hawks & Eagles family.
Other species of the Buteo genus in the Wild Florida Photo database:
Buteo platypterus - BROAD-WINGED HAWK
iNaturalist profile for this species
For more information on this species, visit the following link:
Cornell Lab of Ornithology All About Birds page for this species
Date record last modified: Aug 08, 2025
