Red-shouldered hawk(Buteo Lineatus)Wingspan: 37-42 inchesLength: 15-19 inchesSubmitted photo

In continuing the series on hawks, let’s discuss a hawk that is now becoming more common in Central Oregon. The red-shouldered hawk is found only in North America. Buteo Lineatus is the scientific name. Buteo, as readers may know, is Latin for hawk and lineatus is Latin for “marked with lines.”

Most bird books and bird apps don’t show this bird as being in the Central Oregon area. They usually show the bird only in the southwestern corner of Oregon. In the last 10 years, however, this bird has extended its range into Central Oregon, where it is now a breeder and can be found with a little effort.

This hawk’s range is interesting in the fact that it is not present in the central plains and western mountainous states of the U.S. There is a big gap between the ranges of the western and eastern red-shouldered hawks. The western subspecies is known as elegans, which comes from the Latin word meaning elegant or fine. It is mostly confined to California and Oregon.

This is a medium-size hawk with a length of 15-19 inches and a wingspan of 37-42 inches. As with all birds of prey, the female is larger than the male.

The adult has brilliant rufous (orange) coloring on the chest. Above it has a striking pattern of black and white spotting with rufous shoulder patches. There is also an obvious white “comma” patch towards the outer wings. The tail has alternating narrow white bands and wider dark bands. The head is quite plain.

This bird is an able aerial hunter. It will pluck avian prey from trees and the ground. It will also take small mammals, reptiles and amphibians. It is a very vocal bird, often heard long before it is seen. The repeated “kee-ah” or “kah” calls can be heard for long distances and often involve multiple birds calling to each other in the spring and summer.

In 2016, these birds were sighted around Sunriver, La Pine State Park, Prineville, Sisters, Tumalo, Summer Lake and Silver Lake, to name just a few sites.

— Tom Lawler is an avid bird watcher and photographer. He serves on the East Cascades Audoubon Society board and does bird walks at the Sunriver Nature Center.