Freya
Freya is a Red Shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) who came to us in 2015. She was hit by a car and fractured the humerus in her left wing. It was surgically repaired, but she did not regain full flying ability.
Red Shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) Facts
The red shouldered hawk is of medium size. Adults have brownish heads, reddish chests, and pale bellies with reddish bars. Their tails, which are quite long by Buteo standards, are marked with narrow white bars. Red “shoulders” are visible when the birds are perched.
Size
Length: females 47 to 61 cm (19 to 24 in); males 38 to 58 cm (15 to 23 in)
Wing span: 90 to 127 cm (35 to 50 in)
Weight: female average 700 g (1.5 lbs.)
Habitat
Sticks closely to the remaining forests over much of eastern North America. Populations in Florida and California are often more visible, perhaps adapting better to open habitats
Diet
Includes small mammals, amphibians, reptiles, birds. Diet varies with region and season. Main items often mammals such as voles and chipmunks, at other times frogs and toads; may eat many crayfish in some areas. Also eats snakes, small birds, mice, large insects and, occasionally, fish.
Call
Shrill scream, kee-yeeear, with a downward inflection. The clear whistled calls of this hawk are conspicuous, especially in spring; in the east, Blue Jays often give a near-perfect imitation of this call.
Nesting
Nest site is usually in deciduous tree, sometimes in conifer, located in fork of main trunk or at base of branches against trunk, usually 35-65′ above ground. Nest (built by both sexes) is platform of sticks and other material, lined with bark, moss, and sprigs of green vegetation. Nest may be reused for more than one season.
Life Expectancy
In the wild: up to 10 yrs. (only about half survive the first year)
In captivity: 15 to 19 yrs.