Hobbies And Interests
Habitat
The red-shouldered hawk prefers to live in woodlands in valleys, in canyons, along rivers, in bogs, and in wooded swamps. In particular, its favorite places are mixed deciduous forests and flooded deciduous swamps. It will also live in human habitats such as residential and urban areas. The red-shouldered hawk requires at least 25 acres of territory. This hawk hunts from a perch or in flight, and eats small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and insects. They are often seen perched on tree branches or poles near open spaces.
Nests
The monogamous male and female red-shouldered hawks build their nest together in the crook of a tree. Their nests are usually near open water and 20 to 60 feet high. The nest is a large bowl of sticks, dried leaves, and twigs. Softer materials like mosses and lichens line the inside of the nest. Eggs are incubated for about five weeks, and fledge when they are between 35 and 45 days old. Fledgelings begin to capture their own prey, insects at first, after seven or eight weeks.
Migration
Of the four subspecies of red-shouldered hawks, only the northern variety migrates. They summer in Canada and the northern United States and move further south in the U.S. or to Mexico in the late fall. They leave their winter homes in early spring to go north. They migrate alone or in small groups of three or four, and follow geographic markers such as coastlines or inland ridges.
Human Interference
Many red-shouldered hawk habitats were impacted by widespread use of DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) from the 1940s to the 1970s. DDT causes eggshells to thin and the young to be lost. Breeding rates went down because of this until humans became aware of the dire side effects of this pesticide and made it illegal in 1972. Because of deforestation, some habitats were lost, and this hawk is not as flexible as other hawk species in finding new homes.