Hawks

Hawks are one of the most commonly seen types of raptor here in New Jersey. They can be broken up into two categories: the Buteos, or soaring hawks, and the Accipiters. 

Common Buteo hawks in this region are the Red-Tailed Hawk, Red-Shouldered Hawk, and Broad-winged Hawk, although the Rough-Legged Hawk is an occasional visitor to New Jersey. Look for wide wings and a slow, graceful circle in the sky to find a Buteo.

The Accipiters tend to be faster, more agile hunters than their Buteo cousins. They speed through forests, often chasing other birds to eat. In New Jersey, many people find them hunting at their bird feeders! The larger Cooper’s Hawk sports a piercing red eye as an adult and is becoming increasingly common in suburban areas. The smaller, Sharp-shinned hawk is only the size of a Blue Jay but is still a fearsome predator. Very infrequently, New Jersey is visited by the Northern Goshawk, a stunning gray raptor considered critically endangered in New Jersey due to habitat loss.

The Northern Harrier is a bit of an outlier among hawks. Its mask-like face functions like a satellite dish to help it hunt by sound, a feature it shares with the owls. These birds are sexually dimorphic, which means males and females are different colors. They nest on the ground in their grassland habitat and take a much more active approach to hunting, often seen soaring over the grass and listening for rodents scurrying along the ground.