Common Name: Sharp-shinned Hawk Scientific Name: Accipiter striatus

Identifying Characteristics: Very similar to the Cooper’s hawk, but about one-third smaller. The tail of the sharp-shinned hawk is squared instead of rounded.

Range: Found throughout the forested regions of North America through Central America into Argentina and Brazil. A highly migratory species, it leaves the northern United States in September and winters in Central America. A few sharp-shinned hawks are seen around bird feeders in Minnesota every winter.

Habitat: Like other accipiters, this is a bird of woodlands where it nests and hunts.

Nesting: The sharp-shinned hawk builds a stick nest in deciduous trees.

Feeding: Feeds primarily on small songbirds.

Conservation Status: Seen by the tens of thousands during migration.