Florida is well known for its spectacular wildlife both on land and in the ocean.
But, turn your eye to the Floridian skies and you’ll also spot some of the most incredible birds soaring through the air. And, of all the birds you can find in Florida, none are more majestic than the Hawk.
But what species of hawks can you find in Florida? And how can you identify each of them? If you’ve been asking yourself this question for a while, you’ve come to the right place!
Below, we’re going to take an in-depth look at 13 species of hawks you can find in Florida. We’ll pinpoint their identifying characteristics, look at their natural habitat, discuss their diet, and more.
By the time you’ve finished reading, you won’t only know what you’ve just seen flying through the air – you’ll also know where to find each species to tick it off your bird-watching list.
Quick Answer
Want to know what the different species of Hawks you can find in Florida are but short on time? Check out our quick reference list below:
- Red-Tailed Hawk
- Great Black Hawk
- Ferruginous Hawk
- Sharp-Shinned Hawk
- Broad-Winged Hawk
- Zone-Tailed Hawk
- Red-Shouldered Hawk
- Swainson’s Hawk
- Northern Goshawk
- Cooper’s Hawk
- Short-Tailed Hawk
- Rough-Legged Hawk
- Northern Harrier
Now, let’s take a look at each of these magnificent birds of prey in more detail.
Red-Tailed Hawk
The Red-Tailed Hawk is one of the most commonly spotted birds of prey in Florida, and overall the second most common Hawk in the State.
A large part of their commonality is due to the fact that they are residents in Florida all year round, so they can even be seen flying through the skies in winter.
As you may have guessed from its name, the Red-Tailed Hawk’s main identifying feature is its distinctive, short red tail.
It can also be identified by its brown upperparts, and pale underneath that is marked with dark brown.
In terms of size, the Red-Tailed Hawk measures around 20-inches long and has an average wingspan of 50-inches.
The Red-Tailed Hawk has a mixed habitat and is equally at home in mixed forests, cliff edges, and even man-made structures including towers and skyscrapers.
However, they are most commonly spotted hunting along the roadside, circling high in the air above open fields.
Their diet consists mostly of small mammals although the Red-Tailed Hawk will also prey on smaller birds and reptiles.
A master of hunting, they use their incredible vision to scope out their prey from high above the ground and, once located, swoop down and snatch it up with their powerful talons.
Great Black Hawk
While the Red-Tailed Hawk is one of Florida’s most common birds of prey, the Great Black Hawk is on the other end of the scale altogether.
Incredibly rare, and considered an accidental species, a few have been spotted in Miami but, otherwise, they aren’t a common sight in Florida at all.
The Great Black Hawks bears a striking resemblance to the Common Black Hawk, and is covered with jet black feathers.
The difference, however, lies in the tail with the Great Black Hawk sporting two white tail bands. They are also a little bigger, measuring around 25-inches in length and topping the scales at 1.2kg.
Due to its rarity, not very much is known about the Great Black Hawk. We do know, however, that they are residents in Central and South America all year round.
Those that have been spotted in Florida have simply traveled a little too far out of their usual range.
We also know that the Great Black-Hawk’s diet consists mainly of reptiles, large insects, and small invertebrates.
They have also been known to feed on live chicks and unhatched eggs, but this is really only when their preferred food source becomes scarce.
Ferruginous Hawk
Another of Florida’s rarer Hawk species, the Ferruginous Hawk has only been spotted in the State a couple of times since 1986.
This likely makes them an accidental species who, during their migration, have stopped a little short of their Mexican and Southern State winter habitats.
Despite being so rare, you’ll know immediately if you’ve spotted a Ferruginous Hawk by size alone!
They are the largest species of Hawk in all of North America, measuring around 28-inches in length and with a massive 55-inch average wingspan.
Their size is their main identifying feature as there are two different morphs of Ferruginous Hawk – light and dark.
Dark morph Ferruginous Hawks have brown underparts and are also brown under the wings.
They sport as white tail, white wingtips, and white flight feathers. Light morph Ferruginous Hawks have white underparts, a white head, and white patches underneath each wing.
They also have rust-red upperparts and darker legs. Of the two, the light morph is the most commonly spotted.
Both daytime and nighttime hunters, the fearsome Ferruginous Hawk feeds on small mammals including cottontail rabbits and jackrabbits.
They’ll also hunt prairie dogs and ground squirrels, swooping down and grasping them before carrying them off on the wing to feed out of sight.
The Ferruginous Hawk’s preferred habitat is shrublands and grasslands, and here they build a large nest that can measure up to 3 feet high and 3 feet wide.
In this nest, the female lays as many as 8 eggs and the couple will raise their brood together before helping them fly the nest.
Sharp-Shinned Hawk
A winter visitor to Florida, the Sharp-Shinned Hawk can be spotted in the State between October and March.
Once spring rolls around, they head further North for the breeding season, traveling as far as Southern Canada.
The Sharp-Shinned Hawk is a relatively small bird of prey, measuring just 11-inches long and with an average wingspan of 20-inches.
Females are around a third larger than males, but both sexes have the same blue-gray upperparts, dark-banded tails, and rust-red breasts.
The Sharp-Shinned Hawk is commonly mistaken for the Cooper’s Hawk as well as they have similar markings, but it is much smaller in size.
You might think that their winter-visiting habit would make the Sharp-Shinned Hawk a relatively easy species to spot.
However, they remain quite rare due to their secretive nature. They very rarely stray from their forest homes and their incredible speed makes them all the more difficult to pinpoint.
The best place to try and spot a Sharp-Shinned Hawk in Florida is along forest edges.
Here, they hunt on the wing for smaller songbirds to feed on. They also have a unique feeding habit or plucking the feathers from their prey before eating.
If food supplies start to run scarce in their forest home, the Sharp-Shinned Hawk may venture further afield in search of a meal and some have been known to attack birds on garden feeders.
If you’re suffering with this issue, simply remove your feeders for a few weeks.
The Hawk will soon notice that there isn’t anything worth visiting your garden for and, even better, it won’t take long for your feathered friends to return.
Broad-Winged Hawk
You’re most likely to spot a Broad-Winged Hawk in the North of Florida during spring and summer.
This is because they visit the State for breeding before heading back to Central and South America in fall.
During this migration season, hundreds of Broad-Winged Hawks flock together and take the skies as a unit in a spectacle known as a “kettle”.
With this in mind, even though they can be spotted in spring and summer, you’ll massively increase your chances of spotting if you go looking during fall.
But what does a Broad-Winged Hawk look like? Well, its main identifying features are its barred breast, short banded tail, and rust-red head.
It also has pale underparts and, as you may have guessed from its name, short, broad wings. In terms of size, the Broad-Winged Hawk measures around 17-inches in length and has an average wingspan of 37-inches.
Little is known about the Broad-Winged Hawk’s prefered habitat, although the majority of sightings are along forest edges and mixed woodlands near a source of water.
They also hunt in these locations, feeding on snakes, frogs, small mammals, and baby turtles.
The Broad-Winged Hawk also has a habit of reusing another animal’s abandoned nest rather than building its own.
Once a suitable nest has been found, the female Broad-Winged Hawk lays up to 3 eggs and incubates them for around two weeks.
Once hatched, the mating couple will raise their young together before helping them fledge.
Zone-Tailed Hawk
Another accidental Floridian Hawk species, the Zone-Tailed Hawk isn’t very common but has been occasionally spotted in certain areas of Florida.
It can be identified by its dark brown feathers that cover the majority of its body along with barred wings and white banded tail.
It’s also quite a small species of Hawk, measuring around 22-inches long and with an average 50-inch wingspan.
As a resident species to Mexico and South America, the only time of year you’re likely to spot a Zone-Tailed Hawk in Florida is in the spring and summer months.
Here, they set up home and hunt along cliff edges and canyons at high elevations, and most have been spotted flying across scrubland.
The Zone-Tailed Hawk’s diet consists mainly of small mammals such as mice and voles, although they will also hunt and feed on reptiles, amphibians, and smaller songbirds.
Red-Shouldered Hawk
The Red-Shouldered Hawk is Florida’s most commonly spotted Hawk species and remains resident in the State all year round.
They’re quite easy to identify as well thanks to their distinct markings which include black and white checkered wings, red-barred breasts, and their namesake red shoulders.
In terms of size, the Red-Shouldered Hawk can be considered a medium-sized species, measuring around 24-inches long and with an average wingspan of 40-inches.
You won’t need to venture too far into the wilderness to spot a Red-Shouldered Hawk as they can be seen soaring high in the Floridian skies across the entire State.
However, you can increase your chances of spotting one by visiting their preferred habitat of mixed woodlands or forests near a source of water, such as a lake or stream.
They also tend to hunt more heavily in these areas, feeding on snakes, frogs, and small mammals.
The Red-Shouldered Hawk also nests in these areas and, rather than going to the trouble of making a new nest every year, will often reuse last year’s.
In this nest, the female will lay as many as 5 eggs and the couple will raise their chicks together until they are ready to fly the nest.
Swainson’s Hawk
Like many of the species on our list, the Swainson’s Hawk is another rare species in Florida and most are found in the South of the State.
Relatively small compared to some other Hawk species, the Swainson’s Hawk measures around 20-inches in length and can be identified by its mottled-brown upperparts, light underparts, and deep-red breast.
The best place to try and spot this elusive bird of prey is in the open countryside. Here, they’ll perch on a high vantage point, such as a telephone pole or tall tree, and scour the land for their prey.
This includes small mammals, lizards, and large insects. They’ve also been known to feed on Burrowing Owls.
While this habitat does offer an open hunting ground for the Swainson’s Hawk, it doesn’t offer much in the way of safe nesting or roosting spots.
So, they simply use any trees or bushes they can find to call home. The nests they make aren’t very intricate either and are usually a tangle of twigs lined with wool, grass, or dung.
These nests are large though, and can measure up to 2 feet across and 1 foot high!
Northern Goshawk
Another accidental species to Florida, the Northern Goshawk hasn’t actually been spotted in the State since 1979.
However, with an ever-changing climate and many species needing to find new places to call home, it may be likely that it will be spotted in the State again in the next few years.
The Northern Goshawk is quite easy to identify and looks like a much larger version of the Cooper’s Hawk and Sharp-Shinned Hawk.
In fact, they are related and have the same gray plumage that is barred with dark brown, as well as a tell-tale white stripe across each eye.
In terms of size, the Northern Goshawk measures around 25-inches long and has an average wingspan of 44-inches.
Resident to Canada and Alaska, the Northern Goshawk’s preferred habitat is large forests with plenty of trees to rest and shelter in.
They seem to have a particular preference for mixed and coniferous forests, and this dense tree cover can make them quite difficult to spot.
They also hunt in their forest homes, perching up high and using their amazing vision to spot small mammals and songbirds.
Once locked on, the Northern Goshawk will dive towards its prey with lightning speed, killing it instantly, then carrying it away to feed on.
Cooper’s Hawk
The Cooper’s Hawk is resident in Florida all year round and quite a common sight.
Its numbers also increase during the winter months as other Cooper’s Hawks travel from Canada and Northern States to spend the winter in Florida’s warmer temperatures.
Remarkably similar in appearance to the Sharp-Shinned Hawk, the Cooper’s Hawk can be identified by its blue-gray upperparts, dark, banded tail, and rust-red breast.
There are a couple of features that can help you tell it apart from the Sharp-Shinned Hawk, though.
First of all, it is bigger. The Cooper’s Hawk measures around 15-inches long and has an average wingspan of 33-inches.
The other thing that can help you tell the Cooper’s Hawk apart from the Sharp-Shinned Hawk is that they have a larger head. They also carry their head much further away from the shoulders.
The best place to try and spot a Cooper’s Hawk is along forest edges. Here, they nest high up in the trees, usually using a large clump of mistletoe to form a platform and add more support to the nest.
The female Cooper’s Hawk will lay up t0 6 eggs in this nest and, once hatched, the couple will raise them together.
The Cooper’s Hawk also hunts in its forest habitat, scouring the land for small mammals and songbirds to feed on.
If food starts to run scarce, they’ll venture further out and have been known to pick off birds feeding from garden bird feeders.
If this is something that you’ve noticed happening in your own backyard, simply remove your feeders for a few weeks to deter the Hawk.
Short-Tailed Hawk
Despite being year-round residents in Florida, the Short-Tailed Hawk remains fairly elusive in the State.
There are a few reasons for this, the first being that they can be quite difficult to identify in the first place. Short-Tailed Hawks come in both light and dark morphs.
Light morph Short-Tailed Hawks have white underparts and brown upperparts, while dark morphs are covered with brown feathers aside from a couple of lighter-colored flight feathers.
Both types measure the same, averaging around 16-inches long and, as you may have guessed from its name, they both have tails that are much shorter than most other species of Hawk.
Of course, they aren’t impossible to spot and you can increase your chances of finding a Short-Tailed Hawk by visiting their preferred habitat of mixed forests and woodland.
They hunt in these areas as well, feeding on small mammals and songbirds. They do, however, hunt from very high up in the sky which, again, adds to the difficulty of identifying them.
Rough-Legged Hawk
The Rough-Legged Hawk isn’t a very common sight in Florida and records suggest that the last sighting in the State was back in 2007.
They take their name from the rough-looking feathers that surround their legs, but they can also be identified by their pure white underparts that are marked with dark brown as well as the brown patches on the wing tip and tail.
In terms of size, the Rough-Legged Hawk measures around 20-inches long and has an average wingspan of 53-inches.
Their namesake rough-looking leg feathers serve an important purpose.
Much thicker than the other feathers on their body, they keep the Rough-Legged Hawk warm and insulated during the harsh winters of its native Alaskan and Canadian home.
The best place to spot a Rough-Legged Hawk is in open field and marshes, as this is where they do the majority of their hunting.
Their prey includes voles, lemmings, and ground squirrels along with other small mammals.
Northern Harrier
We round off our list with another of Florida’s most common species of Hawk; the Northern Harrier.
However, unlike other common Hawk species, the Northern Harrier isn’t resident in Florida all year round, and only visits the State from September to April.
The rest of the year they spend breeding in Northern States.
Male Northern Harriers can be identified by their gray upperparts, white underparts, and whit patch on the rump.
Females are covered with brown feathers and do not sport a white patch. Both males and females are around the same size, measuring 19-inches and with an average wingspan of 43-inches.
You’re most likely to spot a Northern Harrier in their hunting grounds of marshes and open grasslands.
Here, they silently glide close to the ground in search of small mammals and small songbirds to feed on.
They also nest in these areas, building a nest on the ground in the safety of willows, brushtails, and reeds.
Once constructed, the female Northern Harrier will lay up to 5 white eggs and incubate them herself for a period of two weeks.
Once hatched, the mating couple will feed and raise their young together until they are ready to leave the nest.
What Time Of Year Is Best To Spot Hawks In Florida?
The answer to this question ultimately depends on the species of Hawk, as some are resident all year round while others visit for the spring, summer, or winter.
To make things easier for you, we’ve put together a quick reference guide to what species of Hawk you can spot in Florida throughout the year:
Summer
Hawk species you can spot in Florida during the summer months are:
- Red-Tailed Hawk
- Broad-Winged Hawk
- Zone-Tailed Hawk
- Red-Shouldered Hawk
- Short-Tailed Hawk
- Great Black Hawk
- Sharp-Shinned Hawk
- Cooper’s Hawk
- Northern Harrier
Winter
Hawk species you can spot in Florida during the winter months are:
- Red-Tailed Hawk
- Short-Tailed Hawk
- Great Black Hawk
- Northern Goshawk
- Rough-Legged Hawk
- Red-Shouldered Hawk
- Northern Harrier
- Ferruginous Hawk
- Swainson’s Hawk
- Cooper’s Hawk
- Sharp-Shinned Hawk
- Broad-Winged Hawk
Final Thoughts
As you can see, there are quite a few different species of Hawk that you can spot in Florida and some can even be found soaring through the skies all year round.
However, compared to other States, Florida doesn’t have that many resident Hawks. Many of the visiting species are also quite rare and this can make them difficult to spot.
Don’t let this discourage you, though! Next time you see a large bird of prey speeding through the Floridian sky or perched atop a telephone pole, pull up this list – you might have just spotted one of the rare ones!