Red-Shouldered Hawk: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Small Hunters · day 2 of 7

Five facts

1. To court a mate or guard its territory, it gives a loud, screaming 'kee-aah', most often three or four times in a row.
2. In his 'sky-dance', a male climbs high, then plunges in steep dives, swirling in a wide circle and shooting back up after each one.
3. A red-shouldered hawk watches from a treetop or soars over woodland, then drops straight onto its prey from the air.
4. Steller's jays and blue jays sometimes imitate the hawk's call, and are hard to tell apart from it by voice alone.
5. Red-shouldered hawks often keep the same nest for years, patching it up with fresh sticks every spring.

The quiz

1. How many times is the hawk's 'kee-aah' call usually repeated?

• Once
• Three to four times (correct)
• Ten times
• Twice

The screaming call is usually repeated three to four times.

2. What does the male's 'sky-dance' involve?

• Hovering over water
• Steep dives, each followed by a spiral and rapid ascent (correct)
• Flying in a straight line
• Tumbling with the female

He climbs high, then plunges in steep dives, spiralling and shooting back up after each one.

3. How does the hawk catch its prey?

• It chases on foot
• It digs it out of burrows
• It snatches it from water
• It drops directly onto it from the air (correct)

It drops directly onto its prey from the air.

4. Which birds sometimes imitate the red-shouldered hawk's call?

• Crows and magpies
• Mockingbirds and starlings
• Steller's jays and blue jays (correct)
• Owls and doves

Steller's jays and blue jays sometimes imitate the hawk's call.

5. What do red-shouldered hawks often do with their nest?

• Abandon it each year
• Build it on the ground
• Reuse it and refurbish it with sticks (correct)
• Line it with feathers only

They often keep the same nest for years, patching it up with fresh sticks every spring.

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