Red-shouldered Hawk

March 5, 2026

A Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus), on the lookout for lunch, sitting atop a birdhouse, rather than its usual perch on the branch of a tree.

A medium-sized Buteo. Males ranging in size from 15 to 23 inches, and weighing an average of 1.21 pounds. Females range in size from 17 to 24 inches, and weigh an average of 1.54 pounds. Their average wingspan is 37 to 43 inches.

Fortunately for the songbirds that come for seeds in my yard, they are always on the lookout for predators.

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Published by

Brenda Clements Jones

Brenda is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist, a Habitat Defender for Shenandoah National Park, and a devoted fan of Mother Nature. She lives in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park, and hikes up to the higher elevations of her mountain often to see what nature is up to. Her constant hiking companion is a camera that captures nature as it unfolds through the seasons. It’s her goal to share the natural world around her through her photographs.