Red-Shouldered Hawk

Most red-shouldered hawks are reddish brown or reddish-black in color. They can be found all over Florida in great numbers, usually perched on tall trees in search of prey.

Red-shouldered hawks catch their food by perching on a high branch and searching with their keen eyesight. Their claws, or talons, have the power to kill any snake or small rodent. When the hawk catches its food it goes to a branch and eats.

For the first few weeks, the young red-shouldered hawk is quite helpless. The parents feed their nestlings with little pieces of meat. By the second week, the young hawk shows remarkable changes and when they are a month old they are ready to leave the nest.