Caden Schroeder, Howard Johnson School
Ocean County
First Place, Ocean County, Red-shouldered Hawk (c) Caden Schroeder
Red-shouldered Hawk
Hi, I am a Red-shouldered Hawk. I am an endangered animal that lives throughout the Eastern and Northeastern United States. My population in the East has declined after forests are being cleared to make way for housing and factories. We are listed as endangered in many eastern U.S. states, with the most declines occurring in Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin.
I eat mostly small mammals, lizards, snakes and amphibians. I hunt from a perch below the forest canopy or at the edge of a pond. I sit silently until I spot my prey below. Then I descend swiftly, gliding and snatching my prey off the forest floor.
We often reuse our nests from past years. We place our nests in broad-leafed trees, below the forest canopy, but toward the top of the tree. We like to be near a pond, stream or a swamp. My nest is about two feet tall. It is made of bark, moss, lichens, and conifer sprigs.
We breed once a year, usually between April and July. We keep our same mate forever. If our mate is killed, we will look for a new one. We can lay between 3-6 eggs. Our eggs are incubated by both adults for 28-33 days. Our chicks leave the nest at 6 weeks and become independent at 17 to 19 weeks.
My life span is about 20 years. I can be an aggressive bird, sometimes locking talons with intruding hawks and also attacking crows, Great Horned Owls and even humans. I will make a cry sound of two to three second hoarse, rasping screams that sound like kee-rah. Our cry is often described as sounding similar to a steam whistle.
I hope this helps you to realize what an amazing bird I am. Let’s all work together and help to keep the forest alive.
Written by: Caden Schroeder
Howard C. Johnson School, Jackson
Teacher: Ms. Andersen