Reese, my husband and I have recently moved to a home on a golf course in a lake community in Texas. We are thrilled to learn that a beautiful red shouldered hawk visits our backyard regularly!Our question is, aside from size (which we haven’t been able to compare since only one bird has been present), is there another way to determine the gender of the hawk? We wondered if, like the eagles, beak size or perhaps another physical characteristic would help us to identify it as male or female. My researched hasn’t helped me much. Thank you!
Shmann – In Texas you have a southern species of red-shouldered that are usually a bit darker than those in the east. As with most buteo species there is very little if any difference between the male and female except size, with the male being smaller. Even then the difference can be so small that the experts get it wrong. Hopefully you will have the opportunity to see both the male and female together so you can compare their size. – Reese
3 Comments
Reese – thank you for these . They look so sweet sittin there together 🙂
Hmmm…decisions, decisions. What nest are we going to use this year? Thanks for the update Reese and it’s nice to see them together for a change.
Reese, my husband and I have recently moved to a home on a golf course in a lake community in Texas. We are thrilled to learn that a beautiful red shouldered hawk visits our backyard regularly!Our question is, aside from size (which we haven’t been able to compare since only one bird has been present), is there another way to determine the gender of the hawk? We wondered if, like the eagles, beak size or perhaps another physical characteristic would help us to identify it as male or female. My researched hasn’t helped me much. Thank you!
Shmann – In Texas you have a southern species of red-shouldered that are usually a bit darker than those in the east. As with most buteo species there is very little if any difference between the male and female except size, with the male being smaller. Even then the difference can be so small that the experts get it wrong. Hopefully you will have the opportunity to see both the male and female together so you can compare their size. – Reese