CreatureData

Red-shouldered hawk

Buteo lineatus (J. F. Gmelin, 1788)

LCLeast Concernbirds of prey

The red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus) is a species in the family Accipitridae, order Accipitriformes. Recorded adults weigh 539 g to 701 g and live up to 20 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus)
Photo: Andrew C · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the red-shouldered hawk

Weight
539 g – 701 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Wingspan
90 cm – 1.14 msrc for Wingspan
Lifespan
20 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Carnivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
22.4 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
woodlandsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
33 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
3.2src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
12 months – 17.9 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
1src for Litters or clutches a year
Lifestyle
Aerialsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Migratorysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

How big is the red-shouldered hawk?

RED-SHOULDERED HAWK · WINGSPAN 1.14 MADULT HUMAN · HEIGHT 1.7 M
At 1.14 m, the recorded maximum wingspan of the red-shouldered hawk is about 67% of the height of an adult human (1.7 m, a fixed reference used for scale).

Where does the red-shouldered hawk live?

Not recorded

What is the red-shouldered hawk?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus) is a medium-sized buteo. Its breeding range spans eastern North America, along the coast of California and northern to northeastern-central Mexico. It is a permanent resident throughout most of its range, though northern birds do migrate, mostly to central Mexico. The main conservation threat to the widespread species is deforestation.

From the Wikipedia article “Red-shouldered hawk” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Red-shouldered_hawk&oldid=1380716793), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

What does the red-shouldered hawk sound like?

G. McGrane · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Is the red-shouldered hawk endangered?

The red-shouldered hawk is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the red-shouldered hawk classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderAccipitriformes
  5. familyAccipitridae
  6. genusButeo
  7. SpeciesButeo lineatus (J. F. Gmelin, 1788)

Synonyms Buteo quadratus, Calohierax quadratus, Falco lineatus

Other names and names in other languages (49)
  • Hen hawkEnglish
  • Mouse hawkEnglish
  • Red-bellied hawkEnglish
  • Red-shouldered buzzardEnglish
  • Winter hawkEnglish
  • Baou skoazioù ruzBreton
  • aligot d'espatlles vermellesCatalan
  • káně páskovanáCzech
  • bwncath ysgwyddgochWelsh
  • Rødskuldret MusvågeDanish
  • RotschulterbussardGerman
  • ruĝaŝultra buteoEsperanto
  • HombrorrojoSpanish
  • Aguililla pecho rojoSpanish
  • Busardo de hombro rojoSpanish
  • Busardo de Hombros RojosSpanish
  • Busardo hombrorrojoSpanish
  • Busardo pechirrojoSpanish
  • kirjuviuEstonian
  • سارگپه شانهسرخPersian
  • ruostehiirihaukkaFinnish
  • Buse à épaulettesFrench
  • Clamhán dearg-ghuailleachIrish
  • prugasti škanjacCroatian
  • vörösvállú ölyvHungarian
  • LeirvákurIcelandic
  • Poiana spallerosseItalian
  • カタアカノスリJapanese
  • kataakanosuriJapanese
  • 붉은어깨말똥가리Korean
  • rusvapetis suopisLithuanian
  • Raudonpetis SuopisLithuanian
  • rudais klijānsLatvian
  • Haʼaʼaahdę́ę́ʼ atsáłchííʼNavajo
  • roodschouderbuizerdDutch
  • rødvingevåkNorwegian
  • myszołów rdzawoskrzydłyPolish
  • bútio-ruivoPortuguese
  • bútio-d'ombros-ruivosPortuguese
  • Красноплечий канюкRussian
  • RuostaboaimmášNorthern Sami
  • myšiak hrdzavokrídlySlovak
  • progasta kanjaSlovenian
  • црвеноплећи мишарSerbian
  • Crvenokrili mišarSerbian
  • bandvingad vråkSwedish
  • Kızıl Omuzlu ŞahinTurkish
  • канюк рудоплечийUkrainian
  • 赤肩鵟Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List

Relatives of the red-shouldered hawk

Other species in the same genus Buteo.

CompareRed-shouldered hawk vs Common buzzardRed-shouldered hawk vs Rough-legged buzzardRed-shouldered hawk vs Long-legged buzzardRed-shouldered hawk vs Red-tailed hawk

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the red-shouldered hawk?

An adult red-shouldered hawk weighs 539 g – 701 g and has a wingspan of 90 cm – 1.14 m, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the red-shouldered hawk endangered?

The red-shouldered hawk is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the red-shouldered hawk live?

The red-shouldered hawk has a recorded lifespan of 20 years.

What kind of animal is the red-shouldered hawk?

The red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus) belongs to the family Accipitridae in the order Accipitriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/red-shouldered-hawk

MLA

“Red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/red-shouldered-hawk.

BibTeX
@misc{red_shouldered_hawk_2026,
  title = {Red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/red-shouldered-hawk},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}