The Sharp-shinned Hawk is the smallest hawk in North America and a specialist predator of small songbirds, hunting them in dense shrubs and forest understories with quick, agile maneuvering on short, rounded wings. It is the most numerous hawk at hawkwatch sites in fall migration, with thousands passing on peak days. Its square tail distinguishes it from the rounded tail of the very similar Cooper's Hawk.
Habitat
Dense forests; forest edges during migration
Diet
Small birds and occasionally mice
How common
Common
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