11 Hawks in Louisiana
There are 10 species of true hawks found in Louisiana, but while the Osprey is not a true hawk, they are part of the broader Accipiter family, so adding them makes 11 species of hawks in the state.
Hawks are also known as Birds of Prey, a group consisting of hawks, eagles, falcons, owls, condors, and vultures. They are also referred to as Raptors, from the Latin “raptare” – to seize and carry off.
All raptors except owls are diurnal, meaning that they hunt during the day. Owls are primarily nocturnal and hunt mostly at night.
Some of the hawks seen in Louisiana are seasonal visitors.
The hawks found in Louisiana are broken down into three separate families: Accipiters, Buteos, and Pandionidae.
Something to note: when identifying raptors, keep in mind that females are much larger than males.
This can make determining what you’re viewing problematic with some species, like the Cooper’s and Sharp-shinned. While Cooper’s Hawks are larger overall than the Sharp-shinned Hawks, male Cooper’s Hawks can be the same size as a Sharp-shinned female.
Types of Hawks
Accipiters are fast-moving birds with short, broad, rounded wings and long tails that make it easy for them to maneuver during flight.
While Falcons are also accipiters, they are not hawks and will be covered in another one of our articles.
Buteos are large raptors with short, wide tails, broad wings, and heavy, solid bodies. While Buteos are called “hawks” here in the US and Canada, they are known as “buzzards” throughout the rest of the world.
While most raptors have a specific color to their feathers, Buteo hawks can have variations in that overall plumage. This color difference is called a “morph”. Morphs are typically lighter or darker versions of the normal feather hues.
A dark morph Rough-legged hawk looks just like the field guide bird but is darker overall. Light morphs are paler than “normal” birds. While they will appear in another of our articles, a good example of morphs is the Eastern Screech Owl, which comes in three morphs – brown, grey, and red.
Pandionidae has only one member – the fish-eating Osprey. While not considered a true hawk, this raptor’s presence in Louisiana puts it on this list.
For more birdwatching in Louisiana see our articles on backyard birds and woodpeckers.
Pandionidae Hawks
1. Osprey
- Scientific Name: Pandion haliaetus
- Size: 1.5 to 2 feet
- Wingspan: 5 feet
The Osprey is a seasonal visitor to Louisiana, found along the Gulf Coast and large inland lakes during the winter months.
Also known as Fish Hawk, Sea Hawk, and River Hawk, Ospreys migrate up from South America and make their return trip in Fall. Tagged Ospreys have been found as far away as the Amazon Basin.
A white head with a bold, brown stripe that starts behind the eye, a large brown body, and a dark tail mark this bird. Other field marks are brown “wrists” and “fingertips” showing individual “fingers”. Their wingbeats are stiff with a rowing motion.
Ospreys are excellent anglers. They hover over open waters, then dive feet-first to grab a fish, hitting the water hard, with a big splash. They are not deep divers so those waters tend to be shallow, so they take fish that are close to the surface.
Their toes are unique – one can reverse, allowing for two toes front and back. Barbs on the pads of their feet grip slippery fish. Once caught, Ospreys always align fish to be head-first before flying away with their dinner (a head-first fish offers less wind resistance).
Nests are built on anything: telephone poles, chimneys, specially-built Osprey platforms, any place they think will work. Nests consist of sticks, grass, rope, and whatever strikes the bird’s eye. Ospreys often add colorful bags or old clothes into their nests.
Watching a pair of Osprey in the breeding season is a treat. From their intricate courtship rituals to the careful renovation of the nest, to raising their young, they are fun to observe.
Interesting Facts & Notes
Ospreys return to the same nest every year. Home improvement is done by adding to the structure. Over time, nests can become 10 feet deep and 6 feet wide.
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Where Did All These Osprey Come From?
If you’re of a certain age, you might be thinking that the Osprey is a new species in your area because you don’t remember them being around.
If you were a kid back in the 1960s and 70s, there’s nothing wrong with your memory.
While there may seem to be an abundance of Osprey now, back then the species all but disappeared from the Eastern Seaboard, along with Bald Eagles and Peregrine Falcons.
Pesticides used at the time ran off into fresh and salt waters, affecting the fish in those waters, which were the bird’s main food supply. The biggest culprit was a pesticide known as DDT.
DDT caused the birds to lay eggs with thin shells. Osprey, Bald Eagle, and Peregrine Falcon populations crashed.
Banning DDT allowed a slow, natural cleansing cycle to begin. As their food source became pesticide-free, the bird populations began to recover, and now there are Ospreys everywhere on the East and Gulf Coasts again.
Tip – Osprey and Bald Eagle ID
That white head often makes people think “Bald Eagle”, but there are many differences between Ospreys and Bald Eagles. Ospreys are much smaller, they have dark, banded tails (not white), and their flight profile is different from our national symbol. Where Eagles fly flat, Osprey’s wings are usually bent when in flight.
A flying Osprey has long, triangular wings, giving them a silhouette that’s more streamlined than a Buteo hawk. Look for a white underwing, white belly, banded tail, and bold, striped flight feathers.
Accipiter Hawks
2. Sharp-shinned Hawk
- Scientific Name: Accipiter striatus
- Size: 11 inches
- Wingspan: 23 inches
Male Sharpies are the smallest hawk in the United States and Canada. Long wings and very long tails, along with short wings, make these raptors highly maneuverable among the trees.
The fast-moving Sharp-shinned Hawk is a keen hunter, weaving through the trees to take Robin-sized or smaller songbirds and small rodents from the forest.
The Sharpie is the bird of prey version of a stealth fighter, using their speed to chase their prey or pouncing from the canopy to grab them from the ground. They are built for zipping around trees and forest shrubs, weaving in and out in hot pursuit.
Adult birds are blue-gray with narrow reddish-brown banding on the breast. Their eyes are large while their heads appear small for their size. The tail is squared off and banded.
Immature birds are brown above with brown streaking below. Another field mark for the young Sharp-shinned hawk is a yellow eye.
Their flight profile shows the wings appear pushed forward and their cadence is a flap-flap-glide pattern. The sharp-shinned Hawk flight silhouette is more of a capital “T” with the head peeking out ahead of the wings.
The Sharp-shinned Hawk prefers firs or other conifers for their nest sites.
Interesting Facts & Notes
Sharpies love to cruise local bird feeders, using them like an avian buffet. Remove the feeders for about two weeks if one becomes a constant visitor to your backyard. The Sharpie will move off to better pickings and you can set up the backyard feeders again.
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3. Cooper’s Hawk
- Scientific Name: Accipiter Cooperii
- Size: 16.5 inches
- Wingspan: 31 inches
The quintessential Accipiter, the Cooper’s Hawk is a medium-sized stealth missile honed in on its songbird prey, weaving and swerving through densely wooded areas propelled on strong rounded wings and very long tails.
Adult Cooper’s Hawks are gray with reddish barring on the chest, long gray tails with black banding ide, and a white tail edge (terminal band). The face features pale cheeks, a black cap, red eyes, and a strongly hooked bill.
Immature birds are brown upperparts and white underparts that are streaked with brown. Oh, and yellow eyes.
Cooper’s Hawks show a flight profile where the wings appear pushed forward and their cadence is flap-flap-glide. Their flight silhouette is more of a lower-case “T” with the head out in front of the wings. The tails of Cooper’s Hawks appear rounded in flight.
Interesting Facts & Notes
These raptors are fast flyers (in the 50-mph range). Weaving around trees at high speed is not without peril – many Cooper’s Hawk skeletons show old, healed fractures from making contact with trees.
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Cooper’s / Sharp-shinned Hawk ID
How to tell a Cooper’s from a Sharpie? Size may not work here, since there’s a major overlap between the two species, with the female Sharpie being similar in size to the male Cooper’s.
Cooper’s Hawks are more the size of a Crow while Sharp-shinned is more the size of a Blue Jay, but again, you’ll have to use more than that to make the positive ID.
Cooper’s Hawks sit more upright on a branch. The tail is rounded, kind of like a sideways “C” for Cooper’s, while the Sharpie’s tail has a flat edge.
Cooper’s hawk heads are blocky and appear large, while a Sharp-shinned head seems small for its body size. In addition to this, the Cooper looks like it’s wearing a cap while the Sharpie wears a hood.
Last one – the Cooper’s Hawk’s body is thick and somewhat tubular and has a low center of gravity while the Sharpie is broad in the chest and slimmer in the hips, so it has a higher center of gravity.
Still confused? So am I. That’s why there’s a box to check for “Accipiter species” on birding checklists.
Buteo Hawks
4. Red-tailed Hawk
- Scientific Name: Buteo jamaicensis
- Size: 18 to 26 inches
- Wingspan: 3.5 to 4.5 feet
The most common hawks in North America. Red-tailed Hawks have 14 subspecies. You’ll find the eastern version of the Red-tailed Hawk (“Red-tailed Hawk”) all over Louisiana, as most of those subspecies are found west of the Mississippi River.
Seen from below, this is a pale bird with a dark “belly band”, dark fingers (wingtips), and edges of their flight feathers. Adults are brown above, with that unique red tail. That tail is so prominent that the red can still be visible in most light even if you’re looking up at the bird.
While their tails are the best field mark, the tails of juvenile hawks are brown, making ID more difficult. That’s where that belly band nails it. No belly bands? – look at the other Buteos on this list.
Red-tails can be seen circling on thermals in search of small mammals, snakes, and birds such as pheasants or quail also included in their diet. Sometimes they hunt in pairs, coasting in tight circles opposite each other.
Look for Red-tailed nests high in the trees, where they have a commanding view over their territory. These are tall (up to 6 feet) structures made from dry sticks. They are quite robust, which is why Great Horned Owls take them over once the Red-tailed chicks have fledged.
These buteos are very aggressive when it comes to defending their nests. Since this species also live in suburban areas, if you get too close, you might be dive-bombed. These birds have huge, long talons, so please keep your distance.
Interesting Facts & Notes
An eagle comes screaming across your TV screen. Chances are that’s not an eagle calling but a Red-tailed Hawk. Hollywood doesn’t think Bald Eagles sound “eagle-y” enough, so the Red-tailed call is the substitute for the more regal eagle most of the time.
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5. Swainson’s Hawk
- Scientific Name: Buteo swainsoni
- Size: 19 to 22 inches
- Wingspan: 46 to 54 inches
While this hawk is usually found west of the Mississippi River, Swainson’s Hawks are sometimes found in the east.
This is a distinctive long-winged, large hawk with pointed wingtips. Both morphs show a brown upper breast, giving them a hooded appearance.
Light morph birds show dark flight feathers, giving them a dark leading edge to their wings. Dark morph birds often show rufous underwing and pale under-tail coverts.
Swainson’s Hawks often fly in a dihedral (wings slightly raised and rocking from side to side) like a Turkey Vulture.
This is a raptor of open habitats, where it forages for prey in what is now mostly agricultural settings but once was prairie and grasslands. They perch on fence posts and overhead sprinklers to scan for small mammals and insects (mammals make up their breeding season diet while insects are the non-breeding food of choice).
Swainson’s Hawks employ two interesting techniques for getting food – they go to the ground and hunt in the dirt for prey, or take an aerial page out of the American Kestrel’s book and hover over a field to scout the prey items.
Interesting Facts & Notes
Swainson’s Hawks go a long way during migration. They head down to Argentina in large numbers in kettles along with Broad-winged Hawks, Turkey Vultures, and Swallow-tailed Kites.
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6. Red-shouldered Hawk
- Scientific Name: Buteo lineatus
- Size: 15 to 19 inches
- Wingspan: 37 to 42 inches
Distinctively marked Buteo with a characteristic whistle call found in wetland forests all across the state.
Red-shouldered Hawks show rufous-peach barred underparts, a mottled black-and-white back, and rufous “shoulders”. Both the tail and flight feathers are banded, and the wingtips appear squarish as opposed to the splayed fingers of other Buteos.
Juvenile and immature birds don’t have the reddish coloration of their parents, nor do they have the black-and-white checkerboard back pattern. They may look like juvenile Red-tailed Hawks, but they don’t have the Red-tail’s belly band. They are also smaller.
Regardless of their age, all Red-shouldered Hawks show translucent white crescents on their wingtips when in flight.
From below, the reddish-brown body and “arms” are easy to recognize. Their long tails give them a sleeker flight silhouette than other Buteos.
While they still have the broad-winged look of a Buteo, Red-shouldered Hawks can also appear very Accipiter-like by flapping their wings followed by a glide.
The Red-shouldered Hawk’s diet runs from small mammals to lizards, snakes, and amphibians. On occasion, they will take birds from feeders, but other avians are not a prime food source.
Nests are often close to a water source, usually in the crook of a tree, somewhat closer to the top than the floor. They will reuse the same nest year after year, refurbishing it with twigs, grass, leaves, and conifer sprigs.
Interesting Facts & Notes
The courtship of Red-shouldered Hawks features the male and female flying together and rolling over on their backs to fly upside down in unison.
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7. Harris’s Hawk
- Scientific Name: Buteo Platypterus
- Size: 18 to 22 inches
- Wingspan: 41 to 47 inches
Another hawk not often found in the east, Harris’s Hawks are known as birds of desert scrub and semi-open lowlands, but always near a water source of some kind in the hot Southwest.
A social raptor is usually found hunting in pairs or packs; Harris’s Hawks are beautiful birds, with dark brown bodies, chestnut wings, and white markings.
They search for prey from high perches, often hanging out in groups rather than hunting solo. Prey is mostly mammals, reptiles, and some medium-sized birds like quail.
Interesting Facts & Notes
Because of their social nature and ease around humans, Harris’s Hawks are popular among falconers and for raptor education programs.
With the loss of natural habitat as more gas and oil rigs are being built in Harris’s Hawk territory, the birds have become accustomed to perching on power poles and high-voltage lines, resulting in these hawks adapting to using man-made vantage points instead of trees.
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8. Broad-winged Hawk
- Scientific Name: Buteo platypterus
- Size:13 to 17 inches
- Wingspan: 28 to 39 inches
A sturdy, medium-sized hawk with a black-and-white banded tail found in the interior forests of Louisiana. They can be seen at hawk watches during the spring and fall migrations.
The characteristic field mark for the Broad-winged Hawk is the white banding on their short tails. They will always show those white bands in either light or dark morph.
Smaller than other Buteos, with tapered wings that come to a sort-of tip, they can turn in tighter circles when soaring on thermals than their larger cousins.
The dark morph Broad-winged Hawk is the rarer of the color variations. These birds are uniformly dark brown, with a white band on their tails. Light morph Broad-winged Hawks have brown heads and chests, barred underparts, and dark tails (with a broad white band on the tail).
Broad-winged Hawks feed mostly on mammals, amphibians, and insects. They hunt their prey from trees, poles, or any place allowing them to dive down from above.
Their nests are lower in the canopy than other raptors, staying away from the tops of trees. Two feet wide is about the maximum width of the nest, which is constructed from sticks and bark and lined with feathers, moss, lichens, and pine needles.
Interesting Facts & Notes
During migration, Broad-winged Hawks travel to Central and South America in large flocks called kettles. You can see them circling and flying overhead at a local hawk watch.
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9. White-tailed Hawk
- Scientific Name: Geranoaetus albicaudatus
- Size: 18.1 to 22.8 inches
- Wingspan: 50.4 to 51.6 inches
Soaring on long, very broad wings, the White-tailed Hawk is a bird of clean lines and is appropriately named. This raptor prefers coastal prairies, pastures, savannahs, and grasslands to hunt prey.
White-tailed Hawks are slate gray raptors with rufous shoulders and a distinctive white tail with a dark band. When at rest, the bird’s wingtips are longer than its tail.
Immature birds are dark brown on top and white on the bottom with a black band at the end of the tail.
Interesting Facts & Notes
Brushfires bring out White-tailed Hawks, who hunt down animals that are fleeing from the flames
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10. Ferruginous Hawk
- Scientific Name: Buteo regalis
- Size: 22.1 to 27.2 inches
- Wingspan: 54.2 to 55.9 inches
Long-winged, big Buteo with pointed wingtips and a large head. Ferruginous Hawks are the largest hawk species in North America.
These buteos are inhabitants of open country – sagebrush country, pinyon-juniper forests, shrublands, and grasslands.
Light morphs have white bellies and rusty legs that form a V-shape when seen from below. Dark morph birds have chestnut bellies and white legs. The dark morph is the rarer of the two phases in Ferruginous Hawks.
When hunting for prey, Ferruginous Hawks are either seen soaring high above, sometimes kiting over a field, or perched on telephone poles. They also hunt on the ground, lying in wait around prairie dogs and ground squirrel tunnels for the rodents to make an appearance.
Interesting Facts & Notes
Like Turkey Vultures, Ferruginous Hawks soar with their wings in a dihedral V but tend to keep their wingtips flat instead of upturned as the Turkey Vulture does.
Light morph Ferruginous Hawks are extremely pale, especially when seen in flight and from a distance.
Ferruginous Hawks are one of two hawk species with feathers going completely down their legs. The Rough-legged Hawk is the other.
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11. Northern Harrier
- Scientific Name: Circus hudsonius
- Size: 18 inches
- Wingspan: 43 inches
You’re driving along an open field and you spot a low-flying raptor almost eye-level, gliding over the field, its wings held in a V, long-tailed and effortlessly floating, slowly searching and drifting over the barren ground in search of food.
You’ve just encountered a Northern Harrier, one of the beautiful hawks found in Louisiana.
If you look closer, you’ll notice the dish-shaped owlish face, wide white rump patch that’s always visible in flight, and a very long tail.
Adult male Harriers have light gray heads, darker gray backs, and white breasts, giving them a ghostly appearance and the moniker “Grey Ghost.
Light underparts, black wingtips, and black secondary feathers are other field marks, but it’s that owl face and white rump patch that sets the Harrier apart.
Harriers have a way of moving low over open areas in slow, drifting patterns searching for prey.
Interesting Facts & Notes
Male Northern Harriers are known as “Grey Ghosts” for their coloration and the spectral way they float over open ground. There is no way to explain the sight of this beautiful raptor gliding over a marsh or field.
Northern Harriers were also called “Marsh Hawks” due to their fondness for hunting over marshes and wetlands.
Short-eared Owls like the same habitats as Northern Harriers but hunt more at dawn or dusk. Visiting an area known for Northern Harrier activity in the early morning or later in the afternoon may get you a Short-eared Owl or two.
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Other Raptors to Look for in Louisiana
White-tailed Hawks are occasional visitors to southwest Louisiana and are mostly found within Jefferson Davis, Calcasieu, and Cameron Parishes.
Rough-legged Hawks are rare winter visitors, depending on weather conditions. Look for them in open areas like fields and airports.
There are Bald Eagles (see notes on Osprey / Bald Eagle identification above), four falcon species (American Kestrel, Merlin, Peregrine Falcons, Crested Caracara), and both Black and Turkey Vultures being seen in Louisiana. You can also find Mississippi, White-tailed, and beautiful Swallow-tailed Kites (remember to look up, because kites spend lots of time in the air) or Golden Eagles soaring in winter.
Where to Find Hawks in Louisiana
Hawks can be found anywhere throughout Louisiana.
Be observant. I’ve done many double-takes when walking trails, going backtracking to find a hawk sitting on a branch. I’ve also looked up and seen their silhouette against the open (or urban) sky, or sitting on branches along highways.
In Northern states, Red-tailed Hawks are the main roadside hawks; in the Southern States, it’s the Red-shouldered hawks.
The best places to see Osprey in Louisiana are anywhere where you find water. Look for nests on platforms, poles, etc. along the Gulf Coast and throughout the bayous and lakes.
White-tailed Hawks are occasional visitors to southwestern Louisiana but have been expanding their range in recent years and will likely become more abundant with time. These hawks are mostly found within Jefferson Davis, Calcasieu, and Cameron Parishes right now.
Ferruginous Hawks are another raptor seen in southwestern parts of the state, mostly from late autumn to early spring. Swainson’s Hawks and Harris’s Hawks are also seen in the southwest, with the Swainson’s Hawk also having a preference for coastal areas.
Some states have official Hawk Watches, and these are great places to find migrating raptors of various species. When visiting a Hawk Watch, please ask one of the enumerators about what you’re seeing – they are very knowledgeable and always seem to have good tips on raptor ID.
While many of the hawks in Louisiana can be found year-round, some migrate in spring and fall. Broad-winged and Swainson’s Hawks migrate in spring and fall, with fall numbers being higher for the Broad-winged while Swainson’s Hawks are more numerous in spring.
To learn about hawks, raptors, and other birds in Louisiana, the Louisiana Audubon Society is a great resource.
Conclusion
Seeing a hawk in their natural habitat or flight up close is a breathtaking sight, but you have to get out there to see them.
This was just a brief foray into the hawks found in Louisiana. We hope you’ve enjoyed this article, and will check out some of our other pieces on birds in the 50 States.
Remember, all you need to get started is a decent pair of binoculars and a good location. Get out there and see all the hawks and other amazing birds found throughout Louisiana.
