I have always been a naturalist, and spend hours hiking trails on the weekend. One particular attraction I always look forward to is observing wild birds. The raptors and hawks pique my interest and awe as they soar in mid-air, swoop down, or perch gracefully on the tree branches.
There’s an abundance of hawk species in Massachusetts if you look in the right place. To satisfy your curiosity, I will tackle the 8 species of hawks in Massachusetts and how to identify each of them.
8 Hawks of Massachusetts
Hawks are birds of prey belonging to the family, Accipitridae.
They are regarded as powerful birds. Hawks are widely distributed and differ in size. One distinguishing feature of hawks is their visual acuity — which famously earns people with a great vision the nickname, "Hawkeye".
Without further ado, let's dive into the identification of hawks in Massachusetts.
1. Coopers Hawk
Cooper's Hawks are classified as medium-sized Hawks with the classic accipiter shape. They have a larger head, broad shoulders, and a rounded tail.
Color Pattern
The Adult Cooper's Hawk has a blue-gray back with warm reddish bars on its underside. Their tails are covered with thick dark bands.
Adults have orange to red-colored eyes while younger ones have yellow eyes. The young Coopers have a brown back with brown streaks across their upper breast.
Behavioral Pattern
The Coopers Hawk usually perches and watches for its prey when hunting. It waits until its victim looks away, then quickly swoops down for the kill.
Male hawks raise their wings high above the back and fly in a wide arc with slow, rhythmic flapping while in the air.
Shape and Size
The male and female differ in size.
Male
- Length: 14.6-15.3 in (37-39 cm)
- Weight: 7.8-14.5 oz (220-410 g)
- Wingspan: 24.4-35.4 in (62-90 cm)
Female
- Length: 16.5-17.7 in (42-45 cm)
- Weight: 11.6-24.0 oz (330-680 g)
- Wingspan: 29.5-35.4 in (75-90 cm)
Habitat
You are most likely to find Cooper's Hawk in wooded habitats, deep forests, and backyards.
2. Red-shouldered Hawk
They are medium-sized hawks with slim bodies and relatively long tails. Their wings are broad and rounded.
Color Pattern
Adults are colorful hawks with dark-and-white checkered wings and warm reddish barring on the breast. The tail is colored black with narrow white bands. Younger ones are brown on the back, white below streaked with brown. All ages show thin, pale crescents near the wingtips in flight.
Behavioral Pattern
The Red-shouldered Hawk soars less and prefers to perch hidden in the cover of trees. Their cries can be heard far and wide. This Hawk gives a quick series of whistles that are slurred together during the flight.
They are known as one of the noisiest raptors.
Shape and Size
Both males and females are of the same size.
- Length: 16.9-24.0 in (43-61 cm)
- Weight: 17.1-27.3 oz (486-774 g)
- Wingspan: 37.0-43.7 in (94-111 cm)
Habitat
They are secretive raptors, therefore, are primarily found in deciduous woodlands, often near rivers and swamps.
3. Red-tailed Hawk
The Red-tailed Hawk is one of the largest hawks of Massachusetts and a symbolic bird of prey — you must have heard their shrill “kee-eeeee-ar” around or in the movies. and there’s also their distinguishing short and red tail.
Most female red-tails grow so large you could mistake them for an eagle from afar.
Color Pattern
Most Red-tailed Hawks spot a rich rusty brown plumage and pale underside. They also have streaked bellies. The wing underside is colored a dark bar between shoulder and wrist. The tail is usually pale below and cinnamon-red above, though it's brown and banded in young birds.
Behavioral Pattern
Red-tailed Hawks soar in wide circles high over a field with occasional heavy wingbeats. And they give a hoarse, rasping two to three-second scream during this flight. They are also vocal when defending their nest.
Shape and Size
The male and female differ in size.
Male
- Length: 17.7-22.1 in (45-56 cm)
- Weight: 24.3-45.9 oz (690-1300 g)
- Wingspan: 44.9-52.4 in (114-133 cm)
Female
- Length: 19.7-25.6 in (50-65 cm)
- Weight: 31.8-51.5 oz (900-1460 g)
- Wingspan: 44.9-52.4 in (114-133 cm)
Habitat
Red-tailed Hawks can be found in open fields, grasslands, or marsh-shrub habitats. They are also commonly also found in urban areas, like parks and gardens.
4. American Goshawk
Goshawks are sizable raptors — second largest Massachusetts hawks — with distinguishable slate gray and white plumage.
Color Pattern
Adult goshawks are dark slate gray on the back with pale gray barred underparts. They have a dark head with a white stripe that looks like long eyebrows and orange or red eyes.
Younger ones are brown and streaky, with narrow dark bands in the tail. They have a faint pale eyebrow stripe and yellow eyes.
Behavioral Pattern
They are predators that observe prey on high perches and then attack with quick, agile flight. They fly with a few relatively slow wingbeats interspersed with short glides.
Shape and Size
The American Goshawk is regarded as the largest and bulkiest accipiter hawks. Their wings are round and broad and with a long tail.
Both Sexes
- Length: 20.9-25.2 in (53-64 cm)
- Weight: 22.3-48.1 oz (631-1364 g)
- Wingspan: 40.5-46.1 in (103-117 cm)
Habitat
American Goshawks make a home in the thick woods. They mainly live in coniferous forests but also in deciduous hardwood forests.
5. Rough Legged Hawk
Rough-legged Hawks are the largest Massachusetts hawks. These hawks have fairly narrow wings and a tail longer than most buteo hawks. Their wingtips are broad and often hint at an M shape in flight.
Color Pattern
These are boldly patterned, dark-brown hawks with dark tail tips and pale bases. Like many hawks, they occur in light and dark morphs. Light morphs have pale underwings with dark patches at the end of the wing. Dark morphs are primarily dark brown but usually show pale trailing edges to the underwing.
Behavioral Pattern
Rough-legged Hawks often face the wind and hover, scanning the ground below for small mammal prey when hunting. They have also been observed to soar with their wings raised in a slight V-shape.
They make cat-like meow calls for communication.
Shape and Size
They are slightly smaller than red tailed hawks.
Both Sexes
- Length: 18.5-20.5 in (47-52 cm)
- Weight: 25.2-49.4 oz (715-1400 g)
- Wingspan: 52.0-54.3 in (132-138 cm)
Habitat
These raptors are tenacious and adaptive. Rough-legged Hawks can be found in prairies, shrub steppes, semi-deserts, grasslands, marshes, bogs, and dunes during the winter.
6. Sharp-shinned Hawk
Sharp-shinned Hawks are small, long-tailed hawks with small heads. They also have short rounded wings with square-tipped tails.
Color Pattern
Adults are slate blue-gray colored on the back with narrow, horizontal red-orange bars on the breast. Younger birds are primarily brown, with coarse vertical streaks on white underparts. Adults and young both have broad dark bands across their long tails.
Behavioral Pattern
They are agile fliers that speed through dense woods to surprise their prey, typically songbirds. They may also pounce on their prey from low perches. When flying across open areas, they have a distinctive flap-and-glide flight style.
Shape and Size
The female Sharp-shinned Hawks are larger than the male.
Both Sexes
- Length: 9.4-13.4 in (24-34 cm)
- Weight: 3.1-7.7 oz (87-218 g)
- Wingspan: 16.9-22.1 in (43-56 cm)
Habitat
You can find Sharp-shinned Hawks in places such as deep forests during the breeding period. In non-breeding seasons, you can spot them on forest edges and sometimes at backyard bird feeders.
7. Broad-winged Hawk
These are small, stocky hawks with broad wings and pointy tips. They have a chunky body, large head, and short tail.
Color Pattern
Adults have reddish-brown heads, barred underparts, and broad black and white bands on the tail. The pale undersides of the wings are bordered in dark brown. Younger ones are lighter brown with coarse streaking on the underparts, particularly on the sides of the breast; the tail is narrowly banded.
Behavioral Pattern
Broad-winged Hawks hunt for small mammals from perches under the forest canopy. They also soar above the canopy or across gaps such as roadcuts.
Their call is a piercing whistle on a single pitch.
Shape and Size
These birds are smaller than red shouldered hawks.
Both Sexes
- Length: 13.4-17.3 in (34-44 cm)
- Weight: 9.3-19.8 oz (265-560 g)
- Wingspan: 31.9-39.4 in (81-100 cm)
Habitat
Broad-winged Hawks can be found in forests, majorly under the canopy. They also soar along coastlines and mountain ridges, often in large flocks.
8. Northern Harrier
They are classified as medium-sized raptors with long broad wings. Their tail is long with a peculiar white rump patch.
They also have an owl-like face and a small, sharply hooked bill.
Color Pattern
Males are gray on the back and whitish below with black wingtips, a dark trailing edge to the wing, and a black-banded tail. Females and younger ones are brown, with black bands on the tail. Adult females have whitish undersides with brown streaks, whereas the younger ones are buffy, with less streaking.
Behavioral Pattern
They fly low over the ground weaving back and forth over fields and marshes as they watch and hunt for small mammals. They eat on the ground and perch on low posts or trees. The males court the females by flying barrel rolls.
Shape and Size
They are relatively larger than Sharp-shinned Hawks.
Both Sexes
- Length: 18.1-19.7 in (46-50 cm)
- Weight: 10.6-26.5 oz (300-750 g)
- Wingspan: 40.2-46.5 in (102-118 cm)
Habitat
Northern Harriers can be found in wide-open habitats, where they breed. Habitats like Arctic tundra, prairie grasslands, fields, and marshes.
Fun Fact: Experience hawk watching like never before with a binocular for safari and other wildlife! Nothing beats an up-close adventure while being at a safe distance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do hawks found in Massachusetts eat?
The diet of hawks in Massachusetts is as diverse as the hawks themselves, varying significantly by species, habitat, and season. Each hawk has evolved a specific hunting style and prey preference that helps it thrive in its particular niche.
Buteo Hawks (Soaring Hawks)
Red-tailed Hawk: The most common hawk in the state, the Red-tailed Hawk primarily preys on small to medium-sized mammals, such as voles, mice, chipmunks, squirrels, and rabbits. They are opportunistic and will also eat birds, snakes, and carrion.
Red-shouldered Hawk: Found in woodlands near water, this hawk has a more varied diet. It feeds on small mammals, amphibians (like frogs and toads), and reptiles (especially snakes). Crayfish can also be an important food source in some areas.
Broad-winged Hawk: This small buteo preys on a wide variety of animals. Its diet includes small mammals, insects, frogs, lizards, and small birds. They often hunt from a perch within the forest canopy.
Rough-legged Hawk: A winter visitor, the Rough-legged Hawk specializes in hunting small mammals found in open fields and marshes. Its primary prey consists of voles and mice. It's known for its habit of hovering in the air while scanning the ground for prey.
Accipiter Hawks (Bird Hawks)
Cooper's Hawk: This agile hunter is a specialist in preying on birds. It often targets medium-sized songbirds like robins, jays, and doves, and is a common sight near backyard bird feeders. They also eat small mammals like chipmunks and squirrels, especially in the summer.
Sharp-shinned Hawk: As the smallest hawk in North America, the Sharp-shinned Hawk preys almost exclusively on small birds, often capturing them with a burst of speed from a hidden perch.
America Goshawk: The largest and most powerful accipiter, the American Goshawk is a fierce predator with a varied diet. It hunts both large birds (such as grouse, crows, and woodpeckers) and mammals (including squirrels, rabbits, and hares).
Other Hawks
Northern Harrier: Unique for its low, "buoyant" flight, the Northern Harrier hunts by sight and sound over open grasslands and marshes. Its diet is mainly composed of small mammals (especially voles) and occasionally small birds, reptiles, or frogs.
In summary, while the Red-tailed Hawk is a generalist predator of small mammals, the other hawks in Massachusetts each have a more specialized diet, whether it's the bird-focused accipiters, the amphibian-eating Red-shouldered Hawk, or the vole-specialist Rough-legged Hawk.
How common is the Red-tailed Hawk in Massachusetts?
The Red-tailed Hawk is extremely common and widespread in Massachusetts, and is arguably the most frequently sighted hawk in the state. You can find them in every season and across a huge variety of habitats.
Adaptability: Red-tailed Hawks are highly adaptable birds. While they prefer open country with scattered trees for hunting, they have successfully adapted to suburban and even urban environments. It's not unusual to see one perched on a roadside telephone pole, soaring over a field, or circling high above a city park.
Year-Round Presence: While some Red-tailed Hawks in northern latitudes migrate, many individuals in Massachusetts are permanent residents. They are well-equipped to handle the state's winters, as long as they can find prey.
Population Resilience: Historically, Red-tailed Hawk populations in Massachusetts faced significant declines due to shooting and habitat loss. However, with conservation efforts and the creation of more open, patchy habitats from forest clearing, their numbers have rebounded and are now considered stable or increasing.
In short, if you are looking to spot a hawk in Massachusetts, the Red-tailed Hawk is your best and most frequent bet. Its broad wings, soaring flight, and familiar reddish tail make it an iconic and easily recognizable fixture of the Massachusetts landscape.
What are the biggest hawks in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts is home to several large and impressive hawk species. While the Red-tailed Hawk is the most common, there are others that rival or even surpass it in size. The biggest types of hawks in Massachusetts can be broken down into two main categories: the large buteos and the large accipiters.
The Largest Hawks (by size and weight)
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis): Often considered the largest and most common hawk in the state. A large female Red-tailed Hawk can weigh up to 4.4 pounds (2 kg) and have a wingspan of over 4.5 feet (1.4 meters). Their bulky body and broad wings give them a commanding presence in the sky.
American Goshawk (Astur atricapillus): While not as heavy as a large Red-tailed Hawk, the American Goshawk is the largest of the accipiter hawks and has a significant presence. Its body length can reach up to 29 inches (74 cm), and its wingspan can be comparable to a Red-tailed Hawk's, reaching around 4.3 feet (1.3 meters). This hawk is a powerful forest predator, known for its speed and aggression.
Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus): A winter visitor from the Arctic tundra, the Rough-legged Hawk is another large buteo. It is similar in size and weight to the Red-tailed Hawk, with a wingspan of up to 4.7 feet (1.4 meters) and a weight of up to 3.25 pounds (1.5 kg). It's most commonly seen during the colder months hunting over open fields and coastal areas.
Are hawks friendly to humans?
I have heard people ask if these raptors are friendly to humans.
Hawks are generally not friendly to humans in the way that a domesticated animal might be. They are wild, predatory birds driven by instinct, and their interactions with humans are based on survival, not affection.
Here's a breakdown of how hawks typically interact with humans:
1. Avoidance and Fear
In most situations, wild hawks are wary of humans and will maintain a safe distance. They see humans as potential threats and will usually fly away if approached. This is a natural survival instinct for a predator that relies on stealth and surprise to hunt.
2. Territorial Defense
The primary situation where a hawk might become aggressive towards a human is during the nesting season. If a human gets too close to their nest or their recently-fledged chicks, the hawk may perceive them as a threat and will aggressively defend its young. This behavior is not an attack on the human as prey, but rather a warning to back away. The hawk may swoop down and even make contact with its talons, often aiming for the head. While these encounters can be startling and may cause minor injuries, they are almost always a defensive maneuver.
3. Captivity and Falconry
In the context of falconry, a long-standing practice of hunting with trained raptors, hawks do form a working relationship with their human handlers. However, this is not a relationship of affection in the same way as with a pet dog or cat. It is a partnership based on trust, routine, and a mutually beneficial arrangement where the hawk gets a reliable food source and the handler gets to participate in the hawk's hunting. The hawk learns to associate the human with food and a safe environment, but it retains its wild instincts.
4. Adaptation to Urban Environments
As more hawks, particularly Red-tailed and Cooper's Hawks, adapt to living in suburban and urban areas, they may become more accustomed to human presence. This can reduce their natural fear, which can lead to more frequent close encounters, and in some rare cases, more territorial defense incidents in places like parks or college campuses where nests are in close proximity to human activity.
In conclusion, it's best to view hawks as wild animals that should be observed from a respectful distance. Admire their beauty and power from afar, and if you happen to find yourself near a nest during nesting season, it's best to give them plenty of space.
Wrapping Up
Massachusetts is home to a diverse population of hawks, each with distinct characteristics and habitats. The most common and easily spotted hawk is the Red-tailed Hawk, a large buteo with a rust-colored tail that soars over open fields and roadsides. The state's woodlands are patrolled by the Red-shouldered Hawk, known for its loud call, and the powerful American Goshawk, the largest of the swift accipiter family.
Other accipiters, the agile Cooper's and Sharp-shinned Hawks, specialize in hunting birds in forested and suburban areas. During the colder months, the state hosts winter visitors like the Arctic-dwelling Rough-legged Hawk, which hunts over open country, and the Northern Harrier, which is known for its low, buoyant flight over marshes. Finally, the Broad-winged Hawk is a frequent sight during migration season when it forms impressive "kettles" as it journeys south.
