Sharp-shinned Hawk
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Adult
- Very small and delicate hawk
- Small, rounded head
- Long tail
- Dark gray back and reddish-orange barring on breast
- © Gerry Dewaghe, February 2009
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Juvenile
- Small and compact with rounded head
- Brown back and wings
- Streaked breast
- Immature shows glowing yellow eye
- © Jana Thompson, SD, January 2009
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Adult
- Small head, wide shoulders
- Dark crown and upperparts
- Reddish orange barring on breast
- Adult shows dark red eye
- © TheWorldThroughMyEyes, DE, Wilmington, February 2009
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Sub-adult
- Transitioning from juvenile to adult plumage
- Slender yellow legs and small, rounded head
- Underparts barred orange and white
- Brown head and back
- © Darin Ziegler, CO, Colorado Springs, March 2009
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Adult
- Small head, square-tipped tail
- "Short-necked" structure
- Orange and white barring on breast and belly
- Thin, yellow legs
- © Seth Reams, OR, Portland, November 2008
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Juvenile in flight
- Short, rounded wings
- Long, squared-off tail with gray and white stripes
- Small head
- Streaked breast
- © Lloyd Spitalnik, NJ, Cape May, October 2009
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Juvenile
- Small, rounded head
- Long, squared tail
- Brown streaking on breast
- Slender yellow legs
- © John Rowe, NH, Ossipee, October 2010
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Adult in flight
- Short, rounded wings
- Long, squared-off tail
- Head does not project past "shoulders"
- © Lauren Peeler Brice, MD, Annapolis, December 2009
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Adult with prey
- Plucks and scatters feathers as it eats
- Rounded head with dark red eye
- Small and compact
- Dark gray crown and back
- © Larry Sarris, Mississaugua, Ontario, Canada, December 2009
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Juvenile in flight
- Rounded brown wings with dark stripes
- Gray and white striped tail
- © Stephen Ramirez, TX, San Marcos, January 2011
Similar Species
Juvenile
- Head larger, more rectangular than Sharp-shinned
- More heavy-bodied and muscular
- Neck more clearly defined
- Thicker yellow legs, and proportionately larger feet
- © William Jobes, PA, January 2009
Juvenile in flight
- Head larger than Sharp-shinned, projects well beyond "shoulders"
- Barrel-chested, muscular appearance
- Tail usually rounded at tip, but can vary in shape
- © Gerry Dewaghe, October 2008
Adult
- Dark cap more clearly defined
- Tail not as squared as in Sharp-shinned
- Paler nape
- © Kevin J. McGowan
Adult Taiga in flight
- Wings longer, much more sharply-pointed than Sharp-shinned Hawk
- © Christopher L. Wood, Cape May, NJ, October 2010
Adult Taiga
- Wings long and pointed, tail shorter than Sharp-shinned Hawk
- Streaking on breast darker and thicker than on Sharp-shinned Hawk
- Underwings boldly marked with "checkerboard" pattern
- © William Jobes, Bucks County, PA, September 2008
Adult
- Similar to juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawk, but back and head darker
- Long wings reach almost to end of tail
- Black eye
- Denser streaking on breast and flanks
- © Glenn Bartley, WA, August 2009
