Types of Hawks in New York: Identification Guide
New York is home to several hawks, including the red-tailed, red-shouldered, Cooper’s, sharp-shinned, and broad-winged hawks, plus the northern harrier, northern goshawk, and wintering rough-legged hawk. These raptors hunt over the state’s farmland, forests, and mountains year-round. This guide covers the types of hawks in New York, how to identify them, and where to see them.
| Hawk | Key Feature |
|---|---|
| Red-tailed Hawk | Brick-red tail, very common |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | Barred rusty chest, banded tail |
| Cooper’s Hawk | Long tail, backyard hunter |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | Small, squared tail |
| Broad-winged Hawk | Compact, bold tail bands |
| Northern Harrier | White rump, low glide |
| Northern Goshawk | Large, fierce, northern forests |
How Many Types of Hawks Live in New York?
New York hosts a good variety of hawks, with several resident and breeding species plus additional winter visitors. The red-tailed hawk is the most familiar and widespread, seen soaring over open country and perched along highways statewide, while the red-shouldered hawk favors wet woodlands, and Cooper’s and sharp-shinned hawks are agile bird-hunters that visit yards and woodlands. The broad-winged hawk breeds in the state’s forests and passes through in spectacular migratory flights, and the northern harrier hunts low over marshes, grasslands, and farmland, recognizable by its white rump. The powerful northern goshawk breeds in the extensive forests of the Adirondacks and other wooded regions, and in winter the rough-legged hawk arrives from the Arctic to hunt over open fields. New York also hosts the American kestrel, a small falcon of open country. Understanding New York hawks begins with these species, part of the wider group covered in our guide to types of hawks.
Common New York Hawks and How to Identify Them
Several hawks are especially worth knowing in New York. The red-tailed hawk is a large, broad-winged hawk with a brick-red tail in adults, often seen perched in the open. The red-shouldered hawk shows a barred reddish chest, checkered wings, and a boldly banded tail, calling loudly in wet woods. The Cooper’s hawk and sharp-shinned hawk are woodland accipiters with rounded wings and long tails, the Cooper’s larger and crow-sized, the sharp-shinned smaller with a squared tail, and both hunt birds at feeders. The broad-winged hawk is a small, compact forest hawk with bold black-and-white tail bands, famous for migrating in huge flocks called kettles. The northern harrier glides low over open ground on raised wings, showing a white rump. The northern goshawk is a large, fierce accipiter of northern forests. Each hawk is a rewarding find, as explored in our guide to types of hawks in Illinois.
Where to See Hawks in New York
Hawks can be found across New York in a range of settings. Open country, farmland, and roadsides are excellent for red-tailed hawks, which perch on poles and trees scanning for prey, and for American kestrels on wires. Wet woodlands and forested river corridors host red-shouldered and broad-winged hawks, while Cooper’s and sharp-shinned hawks often appear in towns and around bird feeders. Marshes, wet grasslands, and large fields are the place to find northern harriers coursing low over the ground, and in winter these same open areas attract rough-legged hawks from the Arctic. The extensive forests of the Adirondacks and other wooded regions shelter breeding northern goshawks. New York is also outstanding for hawk migration, and in fall large flights pass along ridges and lakeshores at hawk-watch sites. Because different hawks favor different habitats, New York offers rewarding hawk-watching year-round, as detailed in our guide to types of woodpeckers in New York.
Hawk Migration Through New York
New York offers some of the best hawk-watching in the Northeast, especially during fall migration. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, broad-winged hawks migrate in enormous flocks called kettles, sometimes containing thousands of birds spiraling together on rising columns of warm air. In fall, especially around mid-September, these kettles pass over New York as the hawks travel toward Central and South America, and on a good day a watcher may see hundreds or thousands streaming south. Ridges such as those in the Hudson Highlands and the shorelines of the Great Lakes concentrate migrating raptors and make outstanding hawk-watch sites, where sharp-shinned hawks, Cooper’s hawks, red-tailed hawks, ospreys, and eagles join the flight. A clear day with light winds after a cold front produces the best movements. Watching a kettle of broad-winged hawks swirl overhead is one of the great spectacles of New York birding, as explored in our guide to types of hawks in Illinois.
Telling New York Hawks Apart
With several hawks in New York, a few identification strategies help sort them out. Start with size and shape, since the large, broad-winged, soaring buteos like the red-tailed and red-shouldered hawks differ from the smaller, long-tailed, rounded-winged accipiters like Cooper’s, sharp-shinned, and goshawk that dash after birds, and from the slim northern harrier that glides low with a white rump. Look at the tail, since the red-tailed hawk’s brick-red tail, the boldly banded tails of the red-shouldered and broad-winged hawks, and the harrier’s long tail are all distinctive. Note the setting, because a hawk perched on a pole over open farmland is often a red-tailed hawk, a hawk calling in wet woods may be a red-shouldered hawk, and a hawk chasing songbirds through a yard is a Cooper’s or sharp-shinned. In winter, a hawk hovering over fields may be a rough-legged hawk. Careful attention to these features, along with habitat and season, makes identification steadily easier, as explored in our guide to types of woodpeckers in New York.
Hawks Through the Seasons in New York
New York hawks bring different pleasures across the year, and knowing their seasonal patterns helps. Spring brings breeding, as red-tailed, red-shouldered, and Cooper’s hawks establish territories and nest in the state’s woods and farmland, and goshawks nest in the northern forests. Summer sees adults raising young, with broad-winged hawks nesting quietly in the forest. Fall is the highlight for many, when huge kettles of broad-winged hawks and streams of other raptors pass through on migration, especially in September along ridges and lakeshores. Winter brings a shift toward open-country hawks, as rough-legged hawks arrive from the Arctic to hunt over fields, red-tailed hawks concentrate along roadsides, and northern harriers course over grasslands and marshes. By watching through the seasons, New York birders can enjoy resident hawks, spectacular migration flights, and hardy winter visitors, making hawks a year-round pleasure across the state’s varied landscapes.
Appreciating New York Hawks
New York hawks are a rewarding group to appreciate, both for their variety and for the drama of their lives. From the familiar red-tailed hawk soaring over farmland to the fierce goshawk of the northern forests and the spectacular fall kettles of broad-winged hawks, the state offers rich hawk-watching. Learning to recognize the different species, watching the great migration flights from ridges and lakeshores, and observing hawks hunt all deepen the pleasure of birding in New York. Because hawks are large, often perch in the open, and can be watched soaring overhead, they are among the most accessible birds of prey to observe. Taking the time to appreciate New York hawks connects you to the wild character of the state’s farmland, forests, mountains, and skies.
Hawks and the New York Landscape
Hawks play an important role in the New York landscape, and understanding it adds to their appeal. As predators, hawks help keep populations of rodents, insects, and other small animals in balance, benefiting farms and natural areas alike, so a red-tailed hawk perched over a field or a kestrel on a wire is quietly providing pest control. The mix of farmland, forests, mountains, wetlands, and Great Lakes and coastal shorelines gives New York a variety of habitats that support both resident and migrating raptors. Protecting grasslands, wetlands, and large forests helps hawks find hunting grounds and nesting sites. From the farmland to the Adirondacks, hawks are a valuable and fascinating part of the New York landscape, well worth watching and protecting throughout the year.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many types of hawks are in New York?
New York hosts several hawks, including the red-tailed, red-shouldered, Cooper’s, sharp-shinned, and broad-winged hawks, plus the northern harrier, northern goshawk, and wintering rough-legged hawk.
What is the most common hawk in New York?
The red-tailed hawk is the most common and widespread hawk in New York, often seen soaring over open country or perched on poles and trees along highways statewide.
What hawks hunt birds at feeders in New York?
Cooper’s hawks and sharp-shinned hawks are agile accipiters that hunt songbirds and often appear around bird feeders and in towns, using cover to ambush their prey.
What is the large forest hawk in New York?
The northern goshawk is the large, fierce forest accipiter of New York, breeding in the extensive forests of the Adirondacks and other wooded regions of the state.
When is hawk migration in New York?
Hawk migration peaks in fall, especially September and October, when large flocks of broad-winged hawks and other raptors pass along ridges and lakeshores heading south.
What hawk visits New York only in winter?
The rough-legged hawk visits New York in winter from the Arctic, hunting over open fields and grasslands, often hovering and showing a dark belly patch.
Where can you see hawks in New York?
Look in open country and roadsides for red-tailed hawks, wet woods for red-shouldered hawks, yards for Cooper’s hawks, and ridges and lakeshores for fall migration.
