Red-shouldered Hawk Calls and Sounds (2024) - Have you heard this forest raptor before?

Learn the CALLS and SOUNDS of a Red-shouldered Hawk! These beautiful raptors are very vocal every spring. They are so loud that most people hear them before seeing them.
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Red-shouldered Hawks (Buteo lineatus) are fairly easy to identify by sound. Listen for a LOUD “kee-ahh,” with the second note descending in pitch.
The “kee-aah” call is often repeated. It is very loud and can be heard from many miles away.
Red-shouldered Hawks are most often heard between April and June during the breeding season. They use their calls to attract females and defend territory.
These raptors are common in the eastern half of North America. Interestingly, there is also a population that lives on the west coast.
Distinctly marked, Red-shouldered Hawks have a barred rufous chest, mostly white underwings, a strongly banded tail, and of course, red shoulders that are visible when perched.
Red-shouldered Hawks are primarily forest dwellers. These raptors are common in suburban areas where houses have been mixed into woodlands.
Length: 15-19 inches / 38-48 cm
Weight: 1.1-1.9 lbs. / 500-860 gm
Wingspan: 38-42 inches / 96-107 cm
Credit for the recordings:
Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Recordists: Paul Fenwick, Paul Marvin, Oliver H. Hewitt
Image(s) and/or Footage used under license from Shutterstock.com.

[@lanedehart6543]

I just watched two males fighting on the hillside behind my house. This helped me identify them because of their high pitched cries. I live in a coastal town within Los Angeles, CA. We have several types of hawks but these were smaller than what I typically see so I wasn’t entirely sure. Thanks for the video!

[@deedeepine257]

Yucaipa, Calif. Southern Ca. Edge of the San Bernardino Mountains. This guy has been calling for a mate for two months.

[@Pocono_Pits]

Ive got a hawk thats been around for several weeks now and ive been trying to identify it. This is definitely it. Its awesome to watch in person!

[@JohnEBoldt]

Keep in mind that bluejays are master impersonators of raptors. I constantly hear them mimic red shouldered hawks, Cooper's Hawks, and recently I've heard them as Mississippi Kites! If you hear a red shouldered hawk call coming from a tree and don't see a large bird, chances are it's a bluejay!

[@La_concha_tu_madre]

This comment omg! I really thought I was the only one hearing bluejays mimicking red shouldered hawks like I thought this only happened in my backyard wow why do they do this? I haven't heard them mimicking any other birds of prey but that's really interesting

[@miksille6305]

We have a lot in our area, southern Oregon

[@mirandabeaudry7936]

Thank you for this comment! We heard the loud call and used a bird ID app from inside and it said red tailed hawk, but upon excitedly looking outside I couldn’t see any. However there was a blue jay digging in one of my raised bed gardens right outside the window. Interesting!

[@ffhd1clt]

@@mirandabeaudry7936It’s amazing how much a Blue Jay can make themselves sound like Red Shoulders!

[@theteammelk]

Wow!! I 🧡 corvids.

[@patis6829]

We have red shoulder hawks in our area, some are borderline tame. This summer we have a young one that's either injured or sick. It is smart and started following me walking my beagle because it knows my beagle will flush out a rabbit or squirrel. Clever bird!

[@katherineaustin2477]

Yes I just heard this hawk sound as the hawk was flying over my yard looking at my chickens .my chickens are good at hiding from many hawks.we live in Charleston sc

[@ritaxismama]

I actually came here precisely because there is a bird that flies over my yard every day making this exact sound and I wanted to identify it. I live close to Neary Lagoon in Santa Cruz, California.

[@anthonywadesc]

I just searched this video, we are in Charleston as well. Seems like two of them. Thought it was a lost bird at first.

[@diyguy2383]

Gotta hit it with all 12 of the guages haha.

[@PixarShark]

Northeast FL here! I’m pretty sure these guys are nesting in the trees just along our street. We hear this cry all the time, most notably in the afternoon/evening I would say. I spotted a young one once bathing in a puddle in the road before perching on a tree to watch me. 💖

[@MyfriendAlisha]

I live in Indianapolis and have 3 or 4 of these that hunt around my house every day. I love hearing their calls and going outside to watch them. I spotted a Cooper's hawk today in my neighbor's tree and found a juvenile Red Tailed Hawk's feather in my yard earlier this summer. ❤️

[@lesleycastaneda3823]

We have a pair of these magnificent birds that just moved in, up here in Anaheim Hills...I watch them every morning...the crows have a fit & cause all kinds of fuss whenever the hawks are on the move....

[@jeffreyvonessen2241]

We have a family of red shouldered hawks in our neighborhood in Northern California. Lots of trees and critters and near a creek. They are here year round and have been my acting spirit guides in making tough decisions. I can hear them almost every morning and occasionally am graced with a flyover by them.

[@jeffhutchison1638]

I have heard these all of the time around my house. I just saw one today perched on my mailbox watching my bird feeder. I live approx. 2.5 miles from Columbia Metropolitan Airport (KCAE). There is a lot of woods, ponds, and creeks around me.

[@marleneflowers1961]

I have 2 that visit my yard often. I live in an area where yards are mostly wooded, near the Altamaha River in Wayne County, Georgia. I see them hunting between a creek run and 2 low-lying swampy areas near the end of my road. They are beautiful to watch. One sometimes perches on a tree when I am sitting on my porch. They and the barred owls that I watch are fascinating.

[@PitViperOfDoom]

Saw one of these on a bike ride today in northern CA! Heard a second one in the next tree over. Thanks for posting this video, it helped me identify it once I got home!

[@trishagerard789]

I’m in Southern Illinois and I had one perched on my porch yesterday. It was the size of a bald eagle. Very beautiful!

[@stevekirn]

We hear them every day here in Gainesville Florida. Yesterday one landed on a pole that we use for our wind chimes and spent a good several minutes looking in the window at us. Oh yeah, and there was a small squirrel on the patio just beneath the hawk. Both survived.

[@arniegentile8483]

Saw two of these hawks in Saratoga Springs East side flying and vocal over my home. They looked on the small side but there sound was unmistakable.

[@Leo-c6m]

Beautiful hawk sound

[@user-wy5kc3xr4e]

I'm in piedmont Virginia, quite urban here, and one of these landed on my clothesline! I hear him/her every morning. I think he may eat the Carolina wrens that are all around. He seems to have a mate cuz I often hear an answering cry. I love this bird.

[@jillwendt427]

We live in Northern Wisconsin and we just heard this hawk in our woods.

[@wendyrocchietti7580]

So glad I found this video. We've had the same one doing this around our house here in Gatlinburg Tennessee for over a year now. I always thought it was a red tailed but now I know. Thanks

[@Networkprofessor]

I saw a hawk flew over me this weekend with a prey in its talons. I am captivated. This is great for me to identify where he is in my neighborhood. Thank you.

[@noemitellez3098]

Just spotted & heard a few in Friendswood Texas, just an hour from the coast! I thought they were seagulls! Thanks for sharing this video :)

[@roachroacharito9113]

Howdy neighbor! I live in LC-West (518, by Clear Springs HS) & they are plentiful here, with Cooper's & Red Tails. I've had a bonded pair of Barred Owls in the woods behind my house for a few years now. (I grew up in FW, 50+ yrs ago. Lots of wildlife back then.)

[@chrisrethemeyer7060]

Heard and saw two of them for the first time yesterday (Feb 22). I thought at first they were red tail hawks but the call had that second note that the red tail hawks do not have. I used my Merlin app to identify them. We are in central Missouri so it's cool that we have them right at the edge of their range!

[@SynerCHI]

Just admiring one now in the trees in my backyard, Melbourne, Florida 😍😃🙏💛

[@tkcp7503]

Southern California here. I got one in my backyard trees. Pretty cool to watch her come down and hunt the lizards and stuff

[@NancyWoods]

I hear these all the time!

[@idaliaperez8228]

Beautiful creatures

[@patrickanddarlenefraley5524]

I live just outside of Savannah, Georgia in the rural county of Effingham in Guyton. There's at least one, maybe more than one, that has been making all kinds of noise the past few weeks. I know it right away when I hear that signature sound. I live in a small subdivision and he was in my backyard in one of the trees just a couple of days ago and I hear him several times a day when I go outside with my dogs. I love birdwatching. We actually have lots of barred owls in our area as well and I have some great pictures of them in the trees in my backyard. They are very fascinating! We keep nesting boxes for eastern bluebirds and several other types nest here as well. Lots of babies all the time ❤️

[@721otter]

I live in northern New York between Lake Ontario and the Adirondack Mtns. Near my home, with woods all around, I saw the underside of a bird and heard his call a number of times but never got a good look. I found this video after looking in my bird book and have confirmed (thanks to the videos bird sounds) that I saw an immature red shouldered hawk! Thank you!

[@sohcahtoa1970]

I just heard the chickadees freaking out outside my window, and then this keeaaah sound repeating nearby. I used an app to identify the sound, and it was a red-shouldered hawk. I'm in the right area, so that's a reasonable assumption. Thanks for this video, it seems to confirm the presence of these hawks (about an hour north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada).

[@Cassiopea525]

I actually had one perch on my deck rail once, a juvenile. Now I see it in the branches in the woods sometimes!

[@jeremybyington]

I have had a nest in my neighbor’s tree for the last few years. The sound you feature here is what I was looking for! All this time I thought they were Coopers. One thing I might add is while they are near certain nests a very brave bird much smaller than them (gray on top, white belly, long gray tail feathers) will dive bomb them over and over. When this happens they make a quick, deep full-throated grunt like “Aughk!”. It is quite a thing to witness, like a cat chasing off an 8ft alligator.

[@philiproe1661]

I live near a park. I hear these animals call all the time. Nice to finally identify them.

[@tym5483]

We have a beautiful bonded pair of these guys living in the tall pines of our backyard. Their nest is visible and they're a very dynamic pair of hunters and very passionate lovers 😂 These calls are almost constant during certain parts of the year. It's awesome!

[@Ryanandfriendsofficial]

We currently have a red shoulder hawk living outside our back yard in Vista California. She has even perched on top of the play set right outside our kitchen window! A beautiful animal

[@alydesf5875]

I saw and heard one while kayaking doing loon surveying on Lac La Pêche in Québec, Canada. It was on August 9th, 2023. I saw it relatively well with my binoculars, but it's the call that confirmed I was looking at a red-shouldered hawk. I saw and heard it while kayaking through an open and shallow swamp like area of the lake.

[@almitabey-carrion1788]

we're RV campint at Wilderness Lakes RV Park in Menifee, CA. There is a beautiful Red-shouldered Hawk that comes around every day. I was able to get a good photo of it and we here it calling almost every day.

[@familiadesir6835]

Hi. We live near Tampa Florida adjacent to a forest preserve. We have 3 of these beauties in the area. Once had one land 20 ft away in my yard…grabbed a lizard and flew away.

[@ptcollum]

I am listening to this bird in my rural Alabama yard.

[@lindalayne8378]

Northwest Arkansas, one lives in my back acres! He is beautiful when he flies💖

[@susanabner9731]

I just heard this fellow this morning while I was on my back deck. I see him fly by darting in and out of the woods out my back door. Kentucky

[@danarampicruz]

Wildomar, CA (Riverside Count). We have a big healthy one that frequents the eucalyptus trees next door. It landed on the top of a ladder right next to where I was working in the yard this evening. It was looking for the mice that run around under the horses stall. That call is what we hear right before all the crows and sparrows go on the attack lol.

[@allison9030]

I live in Wilmington Delaware and I’m looking at one right now while on my lunch break!! I’m playing your video trying to get him/her to call back. Lol

[@bethwest4909]

I have a pair that lives in the woods behind my house. There is a creek running through my property and a pond just south of me. There is also a large lake close . I live in far northeastern Oklahoma, not far from northwest Arkansas. I had one this morning sitting in a tree by the creek, located in my goat pen area. It was there almost an hour watching. We have lots of squirrels, chipmunks, and other small animals. I see them quite often. We have seen their nest on my hill and babies heads popping out.

[@peggys4160]

We are in Western NY and have a ton of Red-tailed hawks on our farm but now it sounds like we have Red-shouldered, as well.

[@DanielToro-l2p]

I have two adult RSH’s living behind our house. They have been building a nest for the past week. I’ve had the privilege of witnessing a few successful hunts. We live in Carlsbad CA.

[@kristinecrosd5769]

Currently live in Flagler County FL Hear and see on a daily basis. There is 57 acre parcel behind my home with any tall pines and other scrub trees. Lived or 35 years in suburbanSeminole CountyFL and regularly saw red shoulders sitting on street light poles and particularly on privacy fences. Very beautiful creatures

[@marionbennett4232]

I’m in Northern Maryland and see/hear these hawks often. We also get Coopers. Red Tails come every Thanksgiving as we have many rabbits and squirrels around.

[@AliasChaos1210]

I am playing the video on my porch and the hawk is singing back! Thank you for this great video helping me to identify this beautiful bird.

[@elenagordon9646]

Fullerton, California (southern CA) we've heard them consistently for 30 years

[@terryvoots965]

We have them behind out house in GA. We watched one for a good 20 minutes this morning

[@mlbrooks4066]

I live in suburban Baltimore. We have one with us every day. He stays for a time in his favorite spots, calls a lot, then moves on to another spot, but he's in the neighborhood for a good part of the day.

[@freemmachine]

Just listening to a red-shouldered hawk serenade me from our neighbor’s very tall pine tree.

[@jennifergraham2760]

Burlington, NC and he is in the top of the pine tree right out front. He’s been calling pretty non stop for the last couple of hours. Last week while perched at the top of the pine, catbirds were darting onto his back apparently irritated with his presence. Robins were also high up in the tree and very displeased he was there.

[@marieray1955]

I’m in Spring Branch Texas and a gang of these just went over my property. Scary sounding

[@shariwatsonguerra5346]

I’m in South Texas, I love the red shouldered hawk. I’ve watched them for years. They perch i the morning together. One goes hunting while the other one waits. I say he/she is grocery shopping. I run interference for my squirrels. They can do it just not in front of my eyes.

[@spider46531]

I am in Northern Indiana. I heard the screaming from a hawk and grabbed my phone which has the Cornell app on it, and discovered it is a red shouldered hawk. We have Horned owls also. We live in the country surrounded by trees. I have just put in a small pond and will have it heated in the winder for anything that wants to come by for a sip.

[@homogenized]

I'm in Norcross, Georgia and just heard one of these hollering outside. I managed to turn Merlin Sound ID on just in time for it to listen to and identify the call. I am indeed by a body of water - there is a creek behind our house.

[@BarbaraStacey]

We have some that live around our home. We had on eating a squirrel in our backyard even. They are amazing!

[@chrislove4594]

I live in Braselton GA and have one that comes and sits in my back yard and watches my chicken as they graze in the yard. I have a video of him eating something and pooping its so funny and cool.

[@sarahgoforth3413]

Just had one soaring over the common area in my neighborhood in York, SC. Used your video to identify it! I could make out the coloration, but was unsure of the species. Thank you!

[@yher90]

I’m in Kansas City right by the stadiums and we have a ton of them over here. Just saw one in my backyard eating and perching!

[@akashnianoop-ss9os]

Hi I live in Mpumalanga, South Africa, and we se these beautiful birds quiets often, I even had 1 try to catch my bedroom dog vt

[@michellehamilton4075]

Northwestern Michigan Lower Peninsula. I saw one today-so beautiful with a bright rust colored chest. 3-10-24.

[@hello-laura]

*Yes today Winchester VA. The first sound is exactly the noise she makes too. All the birds at the feeders flee.*

[@eileenhartman1291]

We live just south of Springfield, MO, and have a very noisy one that seems to think 6 a. m. is a good time to wake up!

[@heatherheimsath8974]

I have one that hangs out in my backyard...I called him "Hawky" 😁❣️I live in Largo, FL!!!

[@SpicyCayman]

I live in Central Ohio, wooded back yard, butting up to a ravine. We have these in my yard!! So beautiful

[@billdyas9622]

Machipongo, VA and after 4 weeks of listening to a longing Red-shouldered he seems to have found a friend. Quiet 😊

[@FuturesBrizio]

There is one in my backyard constantly here in northeast CT. My yard abuts woods and a small pond. I see him sitting on the same branch all the time in the back yard over an area of ground cover (no lawn) near my barn and he picks off mice.

[@hrhwsq]

We have several red-shouldered hawks roosting in my neighborhood near Pasadena, CA

[@scottinsd1]

We have two gorgeous (huge) Red Shouldered Hawks in my urban neighborhood, and they like to perch very high up in this huge eucalyptus tree (I live in San Diego, just north of Balboa Park). They're the loudest raptors on the planet, and their call is very distinct and easy to recognize. Awesome birds!!

[@cattooable]

We’re listening to one right now-we’re on the border of Delaware & Chester Counties in Pennsylvania!

[@TheRocktwin1]

Heard one and later saw one from a distance, this morning, in St. Paul, MN. :)

[@logmaster27]

Thank you. I have one that has been frequenting my backyard. I’m in NE Ohio very close to west branch state park. And surrounded by forest on about 2 sides. It is a very loud frequent call and I thought it was a falcon for the longest time until I found this video.

[@harperlewis1526]

Thank you for uploading. SE Virginia in rural area not far from the lower James River.

[@lrae1785]

South of Winston-Salem, NC. In our backyard. Wooded. Sitting on a low tree. So low that a squirrel climbed up and scared the hawk off!

[@tianahorsey-daydreamer8962]

I just heard and saw one in Maryland this morning. ☺️

[@NN-sj5uv]

Just moved to Orlando and we have about a wetland just behind our property. I hear birds all the time but don't necessarily see them. I was walking around and hadn't noticed this bird sitting on my fence. Came within 6-10 feet of it which seem to have startled both of us 😂. Managed to tk a beautiful pic of it.

[@GalenDavisK]

We have some red-shouldered hawk neighbors for a few years now in Oakland, CA. We live on a creek with redwoods

[@itst6491]

I’m in San Diego, Ca in a rural area called Granite Hills in(east County). We have a family of 4-5 or IDK if it’s just a few adults maybe? This am was the first I had seen them, and they caught my attention because that are loud!. I hope they are here to stay!

[@horsense2]

Just saw and heard one last week. Northern VA

[@GoatladyGetYerGoat]

Bonne Terre Missouri. I have more than one who frequents the trees in the woods edging my yard. This morning one was Talking up the top of a tree less than 10 feet from me as I watched for quite awhile.. I even had time to go in a get my binoculars to better see. I usually hear them close by but today was able to see easily which tree it was in.

[@ellentouart-grob5754]

We just saw a red shouldered hawk in the sierra foothills of California. It’s the end of July and it’s call was identified on my Cornell bird app.

[@lostinthedryer]

Toledo, Ohio two juvenile red shouldered hawks have been calling and calling all day. July 8 2023. They live in small suburban Park in back of my house and perch on my fence.

[@jarmen49]

I live in Madison, CT, and I have heard that call often in my yard over the summers of 2020-2022. I live at the edge of a small wetland, surrounded mostly by trees.

[@kristyjoeannanderson]

N Texas, three of them have been cooling off together in my backyard birdbath every day for the past 3 weeks. Suburban busy area, near a main road.

[@1glueguy]

I live east of San Francisco (Lafayette, CA). I hear these calls all the time, for the past 20 years, but never knew what it was. This morning, I saw this bird in one of my trees, and checked my book to find out what it was. First Time I've ever seen it!

[@tnkarp]

I saw a pair this morning in my neighborhood flying in Clarksville TN. Then heard the keekah calls after one landed in trees. I have lots of squirrels that hang around in my front and back yards.

[@Blitz9H]

South Central Indiana here. Out in our pasture by the creek.

[@ndburns]

I live in the Mojave Desert of southern California. We have a resident bird who makes this sound. Now I know who she is.

[@luckymonstercollectibles9949]

I have one in Gastonia, North Carolina. He hangs out regularly in my back yard

[@SimoNemo7]

All the time at my work. Soquel Vineyards in Santa Cruz Ca.

[@d.9880]

heard 2 calling to each other at Skylands Botanical Gardens, Ringwood, NJ 7/10/22 - the one closest to me was in forested area. Went on for at least 20 minutes.

[@vickitoye1298]

Stafford VA they are permanent residents of my wooded and marshy back yard.

[@1961Breezy]

Right above our heads, in a tree, in our back yard. Hamlet Indiana

[@gwenherndon5173]

We have red shouldered hawks in Grants Pass Oregon on the Rogue River!

[@marylynett5107]

Listening to one right now in Waymart Pa

[@ravioli_352]

They're in my backyard in Clermont Florida..hear them everyday.

[@leighjefferson3671]

I hear one/two almost every day in Wilmington, NC, near a very small patch of woods, about 1 mile from the ocean.

[@carolmcdaniel1210]

San Antonio, TX suburb. They return year after year to the nest in the yard behind us, then we get to watch the young ones learn to hunt. Rock squirrels are plentiful in our yard and one of the juvenile hawks flew down, got on the squirrel, but then didn’t know what to do with it and flew off. The squirrel was so petrified it didn’t move at all for a full minute after its near death experience!