Species Assessment:
Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)

The 10-year migration count trends for Red-shouldered Hawks suggest mostly stable populations across North America with 79% of 54 total sites showing stable counts during this span. There have been decreasing observations at 17% of the sites and 4% of sites have reported an increase. Regional populations appear mostly stable with 19% of sites showing decreasing counts in the East Region. The Gulf Region has observed 33% increasing trends (see pie charts and trend maps below). 20- year count trends (not shown) also reflect a mostly stable population, although there have been some decreased counts reported in the East over this span (Central Region: 1 stable; East Region: 12 stable, 1 increase, 8 decrease; Gulf Region: 1 stable, 1 increase, 1 decrease). The highest counts of Red-shouldered Hawk occur along the Great Lakes at Holiday Beach and Hawk Cliff, Ontario, counting 637 and 607 on average per year. Both sites show stable numbers.

Winter survey data from the Christmas Bird Count (CBC) show slightly increasing 10-year trends continent-wide with the annual percent change in population reported to be an increase of 2.5%. Most regions show stable or increasing trends in winter with a possible slight decline in Ontario. Declining migration counts in this species may suggest a change in migration behavior, such as short-stopping. The Red-Shouldered Hawk is listed as a species of Least Concern by the IUCN Red List, but human disturbances have been observed to impact their presence in some localized areas. The species benefits from large areas of contiguous bottomland forest, wetland preservation, and the minimization of human disturbances. In southern populations, Red-shouldered Hawks adapt well to suburban neighborhoods using mature trees for nesting.

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