Short-tailed Hawks are specialist predators of birds. They can catch species as small as Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, and as big as Northern Bobwhite, from spectacular high-altitude dives. The Short-tailed Hawk is a buteo, a group of hawks known for their broad wings and short tails.

The short-tailed hawk (Buteo brachyurus) is an American bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes the eagles and Old World vultures. As a member of the genus Buteo, it is not a true hawk and thus also referred to as a "buteo" or (outside North America) "buzzard".

This rather small tropical hawk enters our area only in Florida. Even there it is uncommon, with widely scattered pairs nesting along the edges of woods in the central part of the state. It seldom perches in the open; when hunting, it regularly soars very high, where it may go unnoticed by the observer on the ground.

Rather small hawk that is often seen soaring on flat wings with tips swept upwards, suddenly dropping out of the sky like a rock. Dark morph adult is very dark brown with paler undersides on outer flight feathers.

Short-tailed Hawks are shy and elusive, rarely seen perched along roadsides, but can be heard during nesting and courtship with their drawn-out “keeeer” call. They are highly aerial and most visible when kiting above, searching for their main prey: birds, rodents, and reptiles that are captured from spectacular ariel swoops.

Mar 28, 2025 · The Red-tailed Hawk is one of the most common raptors across the United States and also amongst the largest. Male: Length: 17.7-22.1 in (45-56 cm) ... The Short-tailed Hawk is actually a Central and South American bird. There is an isolated population in Florida. When they migrate, they all south to the Florida Keys, and this is a fantastic ...

Seen mostly in Mexico, Central and South America, this hawk is common in Florida with small numbers seen in Texas and Arizona. There are two morphs, one is a light coloured with a hooded head, the other is seen in dark plumage with greyish wing feathers.

A sharply marked, trim raptor of subtropical woodlands, the Short-tailed Hawk is often first seen as a speck soaring high in the sky, scanning for prey. They occur in dark morphs (more frequent in Florida) with blackish-brown plumage offset by silvery white barring in the wings and tail; or as light morphs with brown upperparts and neat white ...

Oct 13, 2022 · The Short-tailed Hawk (Buteo brachyurus) is a species of raptor in the genus Buteo. Buteos are a large group of medium to large birds of prey that include about 28 species found on every continent except Antarctica. Members of this genus are generally broad-winged, broad-tailed, soaring birds.

Mar 4, 2020 · Short-tailed Hawk (Buteo brachyurus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (A. F. Poole and F. B. Gill, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.shthaw.01