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Sharp-Shinned Hawk
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Scientific name:
Accipiter striatus |
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Family name:
Accipitridae |
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Are they endangered? They
are not endangered worldwide. (IUCN Red List Least
concern)
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What are their
past/present problems?
Pesticides and heavy metal pollutants kill these birds.
Humans cause hawk numbers to go down when they cut down
forests where the hawks live. |
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What do they look
like?
They have a bluish gray back with reddish brown
bellies. Their eyes are orange and their talons are
yellow. They have a white tail with black stripes
called bands. |
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How big are they?
Their length is 10-14 inches and if their wings were
spread open, they would be between 20 and 28 inches
wide. |
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How many eggs do they
lay?
The female lays 4 or 5 bluish white eggs once a year.
They hatch within 30-35 days. |
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How long do the
fledglings stay in the nest?
The nests are usually high up in pine trees and right
next to the trunk of the tree. The nest is made of
sticks, twigs, pine needles, and grass. The young birds
(fledglings) stay in the nest for a month. |
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When do they hunt?
They hunt during the day. (diurnal)
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What do they eat?
They eat songbirds, small mammals, reptiles, grasshoppers, and
other large insects. |
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Where do they live?
Sharp-shinned Hawks live in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia,
Guatemala, Caribbean Islands, Panama, U.S., West Indies, and
more. |
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What kind of place do
they like to live in? They
like to live in all different kinds of forests. |
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Interesting facts:
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When North American accipiters become adults, they all
have red eyes. |
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There is a special perch near this bird’s nest where it
takes its prey to strip the feathers or skin off. |
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These birds will catch and eat the songbirds that come
to eat at backyard feeders. |
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90% of this bird’s diet is other birds. |
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These birds are about the size of a blue jay. |
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Works Cited:
Accipiter striatus.
19 Nov. 2007. <http://www.iucnredlist.org/search/details.php/49398/all>.
Alderfer, Jonathan. Complete Birds of North America.
Washington, D.C.: National Geographic, 2006.
Alsop, Fred. Birds of North America. New York: DK
Publishing, 2001.
Schmoker, Bill. “Re: Owl pictures (etc.).” E-mail to Club
Web. 2 Nov. 2007.
Sharp-shinned hawk.
5 Oct. 2007. <http://www.peregrinefund.org/Explore_Raptors/hawks/sshnhawk.html>.
Vanner, Michael. Field guide to the birds of North America.
United Kingdom: Parragon, 2006.
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