Bird 7 - Sharp-shinned Hawk - Accipiter Striatus Royalty-Free Stock Photo

The sharp-shinned hawk Accipiter striatus is a small hawk, with males being the smallest hawks in the United States and Canada, but with the species averaging larger than some Neotropical species, such as the tiny hawk. It occurs in a wide range of woodland and forest types, both dominated by conifers and by various types of broad-leaved trees especially oaks. These birds surprise and capture most of their prey from cover or while flying quickly through dense vegetation. They are adept at navigating dense thickets. The great majority of this hawk`s prey are small birds, especially various songbirds such as sparrows, wood-warblers, finches, wrens, nuthatches, tits, icterids and thrushes. Sharp-shinned hawks construct a stick nest in a large conifer or dense group of deciduous trees. Clutches of 3 to 8 eggs have been recorded, but 4 to 5 eggs is the typical clutch size.