[Length 15 (Male) to 19 (Female) in. Wingspan 37 (M) to 42 (F) in.]

Red-shouldered Hawks are common breeding birds of wet forests and swamps throughout the eastern US and coastal California. They get their name from their reddish shoulder patches. Red-shouldered Hawks feed primarily on snakes and frogs, although they are opportunistic, and will also eat insects and small mammals. They often hunt from a low perch, which allows them to quickly drop down onto their prey. The Red-shouldered's call is an unmistakable loud "KEE-YEER" which often announces its presence long before it is seen. This bird was photographed at the Audubon Society's Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary near Fort Meyers, Florida, USA. Photo taken with a 300mm f4.5 Nikkor ED lens on Kodachrome 200 film pushed to 800. (Date: January 1991)

[Length 15 (Male) to 19 (Female) in. Wingspan 37 (M) to 42 (F) in.]

This "Southern Florida" Red-shouldered Hawk was photographed perched on a sign in Everglades National Park, Florida, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm ED f4.5 lens on Kodachrome 64 film. (Date: March 1982)

[Length 15 (Male) to 19 (Female) in. Wingspan 37 (M) to 42 (F) in.]

This Red-shouldered Hawk was photographed at the Weslaco Christmas Bird Count, Weslaco, Texas, USA. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED lens (EFL=450mm) on a Nikon D300 camera. (Date: December 28, 2011)

[Length 15 (Male) to 19 (Female) in. Wingspan 37 (M) to 42 (F) in.]

This "Texas" Red-shouldered Hawk was photographed in the Texas Hill Country, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm EDAF f4.0 lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: January 1991)

[Length 19 in. Wingspan 49 in.]

This immature "Eastern" Red-tailed Hawk was photographed hunting frogs at Brigantine NWR, New Jersey, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm EDAF f4.0 lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: May 1989)

[Length 19 in. Wingspan 49 in.]

This "Southwestern" Red-tailed Hawk was photographed soaring over the Rio Grande River near Candelaria, Texas, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm EDAF f4.0 lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: June 2000)

[Length 19 in. Wingspan 49 in.]

This Red-tailed Hawk was photographed at a section of the Lower Rio Grande NWR along the Rio Grande River, Weslaco, Texas, USA. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED lens (EFL=405mm) on a Nikon D200 camera. (Date: December 29, 2010)

[Length 19 in. Wingspan 49 in.]

This immature Red-tailed Hawk was photographed at Anahuac NWR, Texas, USA. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED lens (EFL=450mm) on a Nikon D300 camera. (Date: January 15, 2013)