Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter stratus)

Size

• One of the ways the sharp-shinned hawk is recognized in the field is by its small size, about 30 centimetres (12 inches) long.

Appearance

• Sharp-shinned hawks have a notched or square tail, and rust-coloured, barred under parts.
• The back and crown are a dark slate grey, and four dark bands stripe the tail.

• The range includes most of North America and northern South America.
• Sharp-shinned hawks breed in an area extending from northern Alaska south to California.
• Winters are spent south of Canada. In Alberta this species is usually found in the Rocky Mountain, foothill, boreal forest and parkland natural regions.

Food

• During hunting flights it flies low over trees in search of prey. Small birds and insects constitute the bulk of its diet.

Breeding Behavior

• Nests are generally a flat platform of twigs lined with bark.
• Four to five eggs are laid.

Status

The sharp-shinned hawk is classified as Secure in the General Status of Alberta Wild Species report:

• General Status of Alberta Wild Species

Current management

Like all raptors in Alberta, the sharp-shinned hawk is protected by the provincial Wildlife Act and classified as a non-game species.

• Cooper's hawk
  
  The sharp-shinned hawk may be confused with a young Cooper's hawk, but the sharp-shinned hawk has rounded wings and lacks the toothed beak.
• Merlin
  
  The sharp-shinned hawk can resemble a merlin, but the sharp-shinned hawk has a squared tail.