11 Species of Hawks in Michigan (Inc. Awesome Photos)
Did you know that Michigan is one of the States that has loads of different species of Hawk? But just how many are there?
There are 11 species of Hawks in Michigan, from the common Red-Tailed Hawk to the elusive Ferruginous Hawk.
Here, we’ll look at the different species of Hawks you can spot in Michigan.
We’ll look at their natural habitats, their feeding habits, and the best time of year to see them, helping you increase your chances of a sighting.
We’ll also look at identifying each species, so you can be sure of what you’ve seen and tick another species off your bird-watching list!
Red-Tailed Hawk
If you’ve seen a Hawk flying high or sat atop a telephone pole in Michigan recently, there’s a very good chance that you’ve just spotted a Red-Tailed Hawk.
This species is the most commonly spotted in the State. They’re also non-migratory, so they can be seen all year round.
However, they are more abundant during spring and summer.
As you may have guessed from their name, the Red-Tailed Hawk has a rust-red tail. This tail is also short and wide.
They can also be identified by their brown upperparts, pale yellow underparts, and large, rounded wings. The Red-Tailed Hawk measures around 20 inches and has a wingspan of 50 inches.
The Red-Tailed Hawk’s preferred habitat is mixed woodland, where it rests high up in the trees. They have, however, also been known to nest and roost in urban areas, using tall buildings and towers to raise their brood.
Once the nest is constructed, the female Red-Tailed Hawk lays 2-3 brown-spotted eggs, and the couple raises their young together before helping them fledge and going their separate ways.
If you cannot get into the woodlands to see a Red-Tailed Hawk, then don’t worry – most are spotted circling high above open fields and farmland.
Here, they scour the land looking for their prey, which includes reptiles, small mammals, and small songbirds. Once spotted, they’ll plummet to the ground and use their fierce claws to snatch them up before carrying them away.
Red-Shouldered Hawk
Another non-migratory bird of prey, the Red-Shouldered Hawk, can be seen in Michigan all year round.
They are most abundant in the South of the State during spring and summer and head a little further North for the winter.
Named for its distinct red color on either shoulder, the Red-Shouldered Hawk can also be identified by its checkered wings and red barring across the breast.
They are medium-sized hawks, measuring around 22 inches in length and with an average wingspan of 41 inches.
Their preferred habitat is forests near a source of water, such as a lake, river, or stream. Here, they hunt for their prey along the edges of the water.
Their prey includes small mammals, snakes, and frogs which they have no issue snatching up with their razor-sharp claws!
They also nest in these areas during breeding season, and rather than constructing a new nest each year, they’ll reuse an older nest in a broad-leaved tree.
In this nest, the female Red-Shouldered Hawk will lay 2-5 pale blue eggs. The mating couple will raise their brood together until they are fully fledged.
Short-Tailed Hawk
The Short-Tailed Hawk is one of the rarer species on our list.
Considered an “accidental” species in Michigan, the last recorded sighting of a Short-Tailed Hawk was back in 2005 in the Whitefish Point Unit National Wildlife Refuge.
Of course, others may have been since, but no other sightings have been officially recorded.
As you can imagine from the above, the Short-Tailed Hawk is a very secretive bird of prey. They are also quite hard to identify for a few reasons.
First of all, they are quite small, measuring in at around 15 inches in length. They also have two different color variations; light morph and dark morph.
Light morph Short-Tailed Hawks have white underparts and light brown upperparts. Dark morph Short-Tailed Hawks are a very dark brown color all over, only their underparts and flight feathers are a lighter brown.
One thing that both types have in common, however, is their namesake short tail.
Not only are Short-Tailed Hawks quite small, they also hunt from very high up in the sky. This makes them much harder to spot and, even if you do think you’ve seen one circling above,
you’ll need a very powerful pair of binoculars to see those markings from so high in the sky!
Rough-Legged Hawk
The Rough-Legged Hawk is a bit of a rule breaker in a way.
While most other species are found in spring and summer, the Rough-Legged Hawk is most commonly spotted in the winter, particularly between November and April.
But why do they head to Michigan for the winter? The answer is pretty simple. The Rough-Legged Hawk is native to Alaska and Northern Canada.
It spends spring and summer in these areas, but as winter approaches, it becomes too cold for them. As such, they head a little further South to more comfortable temperatures.
As you may have guessed from their name, the Rough-Legged Hawk is named after the rough-looking feathers that it sports on both legs.
These feathers serve a purpose, keeping the bird insulated and protected when the weather turns bad and the temperatures start to drop.
Their rough-feathered legs are just one of their identifying features, though. They also have long, narrow wings with a wingspan of 53 inches.
Like the elusive Short-Tailed Hawk, they come in two color variations; light and dark.
Usually spotted circling and hovering above open fields in search of food, the Rough-Legged Hawk’s diet is predominately made up of lemmings.
They aren’t overly fussy eaters, though, and will also hunt and feed on other small mammals such as ground squirrels, voles, and mice.
Swainson’s Hawk
Another of Michigan’s rarest species of hawk, the Swainson’s Hawk was last officially recorded in the Saugatuck Dunes State Park in 2021.
Much like the Short-Tailed Hawk, its small size and markings make it quite challenging to identify, but it is also notoriously secretive, never venturing far from its preferred habitat.
Measuring around 19 inches in length and with a wingspan of 35 inches, the Swainson’s Hawk can either be mottled-gray or brown.
They also have lighter underparts, a rust-red breast, and contrasting black and white wings – the markings of which can only be seen when the bird is in flight.
If you do want to increase your chances of seeing a Swainson’s Hawk, you’ll need to head toward open country and the Great Plains. This is where they spend their spring and summer before heading down to South America for the winter.
During this migration, they form a huge flock that can number into the thousands. With this in mind, late summer and early fall would be the best time of year to look out for this elusive bird.
Their preferred habitat of open country doesn’t present the Swainson’s Hawk with very many nesting places, but they make the best of what’s available to them.
This could be any available tree or low mesquite bush, where they build huge nests that can be as large as 2 feet wide and 1 foot deep. They line the inside of their nest with soft materials such as wool, grass, or dung.
Like most other species of Hawk, the Swainson’s Hawk feeds on small mammals and smaller songbirds.
They’ll often perch atop a utility pole or fence to get a better vantage point before swooping down on their prey and killing them instantly with their sharp talons.
They have also been known to feed on Burrowing Owls and, when times get tough, will scratch around in the ground for larger insects such as dragonflies and crickets.
Northern Harrier
The Northern Harrier is another of Michigan’s non-migratory Hawk species, although those that live a little higher North will migrate further South of the State when the temperatures start to drop.
Measuring around 19 inches in length and with a 44-inch wingspan, the Northern Harrier is easier to identify when it is in the air.
This is because it flies in a unique V-shape, with its wings positioned high above the rest of its body.
Male and females are different in color, with male Northern Harriers sporting gray upperparts, white underparts, and a white patch on the rump.
Females, on the other hand, are brown all over and do not have the white rump patch.
You’re most likely to spot a Northern Harrier soaring over low marshes or grassland in search of their prey, mainly small birds and small mammals.
They also roost and nest in these areas, constructing their nests in dense vegetation.
Once built, the female Northern Harrier will lay between 4-5 white eggs and incubate them until they hatch. The mating couple will raise them together, and they’ll head their separate ways once fledged.
Northern Goshawk
Another rare sighting in Michigan, the Northern Goshawk is most commonly spotted in the National Forests North of the State.
They are closely related to the Sharp-Shinned Hawk, although they are much bigger and are also considered to be a much fiercer hunter!
Measuring around 25 inches in length and with an average wingspan of 43 inches, the Northern Goshawk is most identifiable by its black checkered markings all over its gray body.
They also have a long tail, short, broad wings, and a white stripes that runs horizontally across their bright yellow eyes.
Northern Goshawks are non-migratory birds of prey and, although rare, can be found in Michigan all year round.
They are also year-round residents in Canada and Alaska, although some younger Northern Goshawks may head a little further South during the winter.
Extremely secretive, their preferred habitat is large forests so you’ll need to take a bit of a trek if you’re looking to cross a Northern Goshawk off your bird watching list.
Be warned, though – they have become extremely territorial and defensive during the nesting season, attacking anything and anyone they perceive as a threat!
In these forests, they’ll sit up high in the trees, keeping an eye out for their prey, including small songbirds and mammals.
They also nest in these areas and build up to 8 nests before deciding which is the best to raise their brood in.
Cooper’s Hawk
Quite a common sight in Michigan, the Cooper’s Hawk is the State’s second most-sighted Hawk species.
They are year-round residents in the South of the State, but those that reside in the North will head further South during the winter for warmer temperatures.
As such, you’ve got a much better chance of spotting a Cooper’s Hawk in South Michigan.
Standing at a height of 15 inches and with a wingspan of around 30 inches, the Cooper Hawk looks remarkably similar to the Sharp-Shinned Hawk.
They are slightly bigger though, and have blue-gray upperparts, a rust-orange breast, and a dark-banded tail.
Although their markings are very similar, one thing that sets the Cooper’s Hawk apart from the Sharp-Shinned Hawk is their large head, which extends far beyond the wings.
Found nesting and roosting in forest edges, the Cooper’s Hawk diet consists mainly of small mammals and medium-sized birds.
They aren’t scared to venture out of their territory in search of a meal though, and they can be problematic for garden bird lovers, picking off birds from feeders and tables.
If you’ve been suffering from Cooper’s Hawks attacking birds in your garden, there is a simple solution. Remove your feeders for a few weeks and they’ll soon learn that there aren’t any birds for them to pick off.
It won’t take long for your feathered friends to return to feeders once you reinstall them.
Broad-Winged Hawk
Fair weather visitors to the State, Broad-Winged Hawks can be found in Michigan during the spring and summer between April and October.
They come to the state to breed before heading back to Central and South America in late fall to spend winter in warmer temperatures.
During this migration, thousands of Broad-Winged Hawks gather together before taking to the skies in a spectacle known as a “kettle”.
Measuring an average of 15 inches long and with a wingspan of 34 inches, the Broad-Winged Hawk is a stocky little bird of prey. It’s named for its broad wings but this is only one of its identifying features.
The Broad-Winged Hawk also has a short, square, banded tail, barred breast, and red-brown head.
During the breeding season, this Hawk species will often reuse another animal’s old, abandoned nest.
Here, the female will lay 2-3 white eggs and the pair will raise them together. They’ll also hunt where they roost in the edges of forests near a source of water.
Here, they’ll scour the land from on high looking for frogs, snakes, baby turtles, and small mammals to feed on.
Sharp-Shinned Hawk
Sharp-Shinned Hawks are another summer visitor to Michigan, visiting the State to breed before heading South for the winter.
Depending on the temperature, however, those that chose to breed in the South of the State may remain there all year round.
This species of Hawk is one of the smallest on our list, measuring in at a maximum of 13 inches high and with an average wingspan of 20-inches.
Females are around a third larger than males, but all other features remain the same between sexes. They each have blue-gray upperparts, red-orange breasts, and dark bands across their tales.
They also have short, rounded wings and square-ended tails.
They certainly aren’t the most common sighting in Michigan, and most remain in the shelter of their chosen forest habitats.
They’re also extremely agile and fast, perfectly navigating their way through leaves and branches in pursuit of their prey.
This mostly consists of smaller songbirds but will also eat small mammals.
Should their food start to become scarce, they will venture out of their habitat and hunt birds from garden feeders.
As with the Cooper’s Hawk, if you’ve been suffering from this issue, just remove your feeders for a few weeks.
The Sharp-Shinned Hawk nests very high up in the canopy of conifer trees, building a nest that can measure up to 2 feet deep and 6-inches deep.
Once constructed, the female will lay up to 8 pale blue eggs and incubate them. The couple will raise these chicks together before helping them fledge.
Ferruginous Hawk
The Ferruginous Hawk is considered the rarest Hawk species in Michigan, with the last recorded sighting in 2015.
They aren’t only the rarest, they are also the largest Hawks in North America measuring 27 inches high and with a huge wingspan of 55 inches.
Like a few of their cousins, the Ferruginous Hawk can be quite hard to identify despite its sheer size.
The main reason for this is because they can be both light morph or dark morph. Each also has its own unique markings, making identification even harder.
The light morph Ferruginous Hawk is the more commonly sighted of the two, and has white underparts, head, and wings. Their upperparts, legs, and the side of their wings are a light brown color.
Dark morph Ferruginous Hawks are, unsurprisingly, darker in color. They’re also the rarer of the two types, and sport dark brown feathers all over their body.
The only hints of lighter colors are the white flight feathers on their wingtips and tail.
Their prefered habitat is shrublands and grasslands in the low country, where they both breed and hunt.
They are resident in Michigan all year round as long as the temperatures don’t start dropping too low, in which case they’ll head further South towards Southern States and Mexico.
The nests they construct during breeding season are absolutely huge, measuring 3 feet across and 3 feet deep.
The female Ferruginous Hawk will lay up to 8 eggs in this nest and raise the brood together with the male until they are fully fledged. They then head their separate ways.
Ferruginous Hawks are also daytime and nighttime hunters, soaring high above the grasslands and shrublands they call home in search of small mammals.
The majority of their diet is made up of cottontail rabbits and jackrabbits, although they will also eat prairie dogs and ground squirrels.
They’ll rarely go for anything smaller than this as it simply would take too much energy that wouldn’t be replenished by such a mediocre meal.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, spotting a Hawk in Michigan isn’t too much of a hard thing to do as long as you’re looking in the right place.
Some, such as the Red-Tailed Hawk will be easy to find, and you can likely see these circling high above open fields as you drive along the highway.
Others, such as the Ferruginous Hawk and the Northern Goshawk will take a little more searching for.
But, if you follow our advice above, look in the right habitat, and check out their identifying markers, you stand a much better chance of seeing almost every species of Hawk on this list.
