Red-shouldered hawks in California: Identification, calls, diet and nesting

Red-shouldered hawks live in California all year. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) describes them as year-round residents the length of California along the coast and in the Central Valley, in low-elevation woodland along rivers and streams, especially near swamps, marshes and wet meadows. They are fairly common in the woodlands west of the southern deserts and uncommon in the western Sierra Nevada foothills.

California's red-shouldered hawks look different from those in the East. All About Birds notes that California birds are very richly colored, with a rusty head and a solid orange breast. The hawk is not listed as threatened or endangered, but it is protected as a bird of prey under the California Fish and Game Code and as a migratory bird under federal law.

This guide covers identification of adults and juveniles, where red-shouldered hawks live in California, their diet and nesting, their loud and often repeated call, their legal status and similar species. It is part of our guide to the birds of California and our guide to birds of prey in California.

Red-shouldered hawk facts: Size, season and status in California:

Sources: CBRC checklist (September 8, 2026); All About Birds (size); CWHR account B119; CDFW listed-animals list (July 2026); 50 CFR 10.13.

Red-shouldered hawk identification: Orange breast, checkered wings and a black-and-white banded tail:

On the California Bird Records Committee's official state list the species is the Red-shouldered Hawk, Buteo lineatus. It is a medium-size hawk with broad, rounded wings and a medium-length tail that it fans when soaring. Cornell Lab of Ornithology's All About Birds gives a length of 16.9 to 24.0 inches, a weight of 17.1 to 27.3 ounces and a wingspan of 37.0 to 43.7 inches. It is noticeably smaller than a red-tailed hawk.

All About Birds describes the California subspecies as rich reddish-orange on the breast, head and shoulders. Adults in this western group, found from Oregon to Baja California, have a solid orange breast without the barring that eastern adults show. The wings are strongly checkered in black and white, and the black tail is crossed by narrow white bands. The National Park Service's Presidio species page sums up the look as rufous shoulders, a rusty underside and narrow white tail bands.

Juveniles are less colorful. All About Birds says young birds are brown above and white below with brown streaks, and that California immatures also show dark patterning on the wings and strongly banded tails.

Shape helps in flight. Red-shouldered hawks often glide or soar with their wingtips pushed slightly forward, a "reaching" posture, and birds of every age show a narrow, pale crescent near each wingtip.

Red-shouldered hawks in California: Year-round along the coast, in the Central Valley and in southern woodlands:

Red-shouldered hawks are found in northern, central and southern California. CDFW's California Wildlife Habitat Relationships account for the species describes a locally uncommon to common year-round resident along the length of the coast and in the Central Valley. It is fairly common in the woodlands of southern California west of the desert region and uncommon, even in good habitat, in the western Sierra Nevada foothills. The species is mostly resident in California, though some northern populations migrate for the winter.

The habitat is specific. Red-shouldered hawks live in low-elevation riparian woodland, the trees along rivers and streams, up to about 5,000 feet, especially where it mixes with swamps, marshes and wet meadows. In the Sierra Nevada foothills they also hunt in young stands of foothill hardwood and hardwood-conifer woodland.

The species also occurs in city parkland. In San Francisco, the National Park Service reports the red-shouldered hawk as common year-round in the Presidio, where it occurs in all forested areas and breeds.

Red-shouldered hawk diet and nesting in California: Wetland-edge hunters that nest beside the trunk:

The red-shouldered hawk forages mostly along the edges of wet meadows, swamps and marshes, the CWHR account says. Its diet is highly varied and includes small mammals, snakes, lizards, amphibians, small or young birds and large insects. It usually hunts from a perch on a tree, snag or post and pounces, or glides low in search of prey, mainly beneath the tree canopy.

Pairs nest in dense riparian woodland near permanent water. The nest is a platform of sticks built about halfway up a tall tree, usually against the main trunk, at an average height of about 50 feet and a range of about 20 to 80 feet. Some pairs build on top of old squirrel, hawk or crow nests. The lining is strips of bark, dry leaves and sprigs of evergreens.

The breeding season runs from February through July and peaks in April and May. Clutches range from one to five eggs, usually three. Red-shouldered hawks defend their territory against other red-shouldered hawks and against red-tailed hawks and golden eagles. Great horned owls may take the young, and long-eared owls often reuse old nests.

The account, written decades ago, also noted that the population had declined with the loss of riparian habitat. We found no current statewide estimate or trend from a state or federal agency.

Red-shouldered hawk calls and sounds: A loud, repeated "kee-aah" for territory and alarm:

All About Birds describes the red-shouldered hawk's call as a loud "kee-aah," with the second note dropping in pitch, and says the hawk often gives it again and again. The birds use it to claim territory and when they are alarmed. Females sometimes give a soft "kee" while on the nest. Recordings are on the All About Birds red-shouldered hawk sounds page.

Red-shouldered hawk legal status in California: Unlisted but protected under state and federal law:

The red-shouldered hawk does not appear on CDFW's July 2026 list of state and federally listed endangered and threatened animals, and it is not one of California's fully protected birds. CDFW's Raptors of California page lists it among California's raptors and says all raptors are protected under state law.

Fish and Game Code section 3503.5 makes it unlawful to take, possess or destroy any bird of prey, or to take, possess or destroy its nest or eggs, except as the code and its regulations allow. Section 3503 protects the nests and eggs of all birds. Section 3513 bars taking or possessing any bird on the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act list, and the red-shouldered hawk is on that list under 50 CFR 10.13.

Similar species to the red-shouldered hawk in California: Red-tailed and Cooper's hawks:

The red-tailed hawk is larger, with a wingspan of 44.9 to 52.4 inches, according to All About Birds. Adult red-tails are brown above and pale below, often with a streaked belly band, and their tails are reddish-cinnamon above rather than black with white bands. They also lack the red-shouldered hawk's orange breast and checkered wings, and they favor open country over streamside woods.

The Cooper's hawk is a woodland hunter with a different build. It has broad, rounded wings and a very long, rounded tail, the shape of the hawk group known as accipiters, and it flies with a flap-flap-glide rhythm, All About Birds says. Adults are steely blue-gray above with warm reddish barring below and a black cap, and the tail has thick dark bands. In California it breeds through most of the wooded country, its CWHR account says. Juveniles of both species are brown above and streaked below. The Cooper's hawk's very long, rounded tail and the red-shouldered hawk's pale wingtip crescents are among the differences.

Red-shouldered hawks in California: A colorful, vocal resident of streamside woodland:

Red-shouldered hawks in California are year-round residents of the coast, the Central Valley and the woodlands of southern California, tied closely to streamside trees and wet edges. The California birds' orange breast, checkered wings and banded tail set them apart, and their loud "kee-aah" is often given again and again. The hawk is not listed, but state bird-of-prey law and the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act protect the birds, their nests and their eggs.