Little Big Hawk

The Sharp-shinned Hawk is the smallest of our hawks and a member of the accipiter family, characterized by short broad wings and a long tail, features that suit its pursuit of small birds as prey. At this time of year it’s not unusual to see immature “Sharpies” out and and about as they learn to hunt.

While accipiters feed primarily on smaller birds, young Sharpies sometimes try their luck with Pileated Woodpeckers who are double their size and weight. Here is a post from last year showing an encounter between a Sharp-shinned Hawk and a Pileated Woodpecker:

September Shenanigans

*Sharp-shinned Hawks weigh about 5 ounces and are about 15-16 inches from head to end of long tail. Males are often as little as just 57% of the size of females.*

This young Sharpie stopped by and perched for a few moments in a dead cottonwood opposite where I was sitting this morning at the river. It has been around for a few weeks along with a second one, and I wonder if they hatched from the same nest earlier this year.