Red-Shouldered Hawk
Buteo lineatus

The Red-Shouldered Hawk is largely a resident of the eastern USA. However, there is a separate population that lives year round in California’s Coast Range and into Baja California.
American Crows and Red-Shouldered Hawks are often adversaries, often harassing one another and attempting to steal each other’s food. However, these two species will join forces and attack a common enemy, such as the Great Horned Owl, and drive it from their territory.
Today, science recognises five subspecies of Red-Shouldered Hawk:
- B. l. lineatus lives in eastern and the midwestern USA and southeastern Canada.
- B. l. texanus lives in eastern Texas.
- B. l. alleni lives in North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Oklahoma south to Louisiana, eastern Texas, and northern Florida.
- B. l. extimus lives in southern Florida.
- B. l. elegans lives in California and southern Oregon west of the Cascade mountains, and northwestern Mexico.
When I’m at my southern California home, I enjoy the company of these hawks. It’s a tossup whether the Cooper’s or the Red-Shouldered Hawks are most common there, but the very vocal Red-Shouldered Hawk is more noticeable because they seldom shut up. I suspect both nest either on my property, or in nearby trees just off my property.

Red-shouldered Hawk(Buteo Lineatus) |
Description: Poway, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2003:02:15 11:39 |
Location:
Poway Grove Park |
Camera Information: Nikon SUPER COOLSCAN 4000 ED, |
File Name: A3B15a04-RedShoulderedHawk |
© 2003 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |


Red-shouldered Hawk(Buteo Lineatus) |
Description: Poway, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2005:04:28 11:56 |
Location:
Poway Grove Park |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 550 mm, f/8.5, 1/320 |
File Name: JCD0961RedShoulderedHawk |
© 2005 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |


Red-shouldered Hawk(Buteo Lineatus) |
Description: Poway, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2005:04:28 11:56 |
Location:
Poway Grove Park |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 550 mm, f/8.0, 1/250 |
File Name: JCD0964RedShoulderedHawk |
© 2005 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |


Red-shouldered Hawk(Buteo Lineatus) |
Description: Juveniles have this checking breast patterns their parents lack. Quail Gardins in Encinitas, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2009:06:28 14:35 |
Location:
Quail Gardens |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 550 mm, f/7.1, 1/250 |
File Name: JCD4185.RedShoulderedHawk.Juvenile |
© 2009 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |


Red-Shouldered Hawk(Buteo lineatus) |
Description: Juvenile at my bird bath. Poway, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2008:06:08 15:03 |
Location:
Poway Grove Park |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/80 |
File Name: JCD6395RedShoulderedHawk.Juvenile |
© 2008 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |


Red-shouldered Hawk(Buteo Lineatus) |
Description: Juvenile bird. Dos Picos County Park. Ramona, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2008:06:14 7:31 |
Location:
Dos Picos Park |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/160 |
File Name: JCD6844RedShoulderedHawk |
© 2008 - Jack Daynes - shadeTree Imaging |


Red-shouldered Hawk(Buteo Lineatus) |
Description: Juvenile bird. Dos Picos County Park. Ramona, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2008:06:14 7:32 |
Location:
Dos Picos Park |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/250 |
File Name: JCD6852RedShoulderedHawk |
© 2008 - Jack Daynes - shadeTree Imaging |


Red-shouldered Hawk(Buteo Lineatus) |
Description: A successful nest in Mussey Grade in Ramona, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2011:05:06 10:31 |
Location:
Fernbrook |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/250 |
File Name: JCD7842RedShoulderedHawk-Nest |
© 2011 - Jack Daynes - shadeTree Imaging |


Red-shouldered Hawk(Buteo Lineatus) |
Description: Poway, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2006:01:28 18:42 |
Location:
Poway Grove Park |
Camera Information: Nikon SUPER COOLSCAN 4000 ED, |
File Name: Cut-A3B15a04-RedShoulderedHawk |
© 2003 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |


Red-Shouldered Hawk(Buteo lineatus) |
Description: Poway. San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2012:04:07 16:06 |
Location:
Poway Grove Park |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/800 |
File Name: D3X9964-RedShoulderedHawk |
© 2012 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |

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