Red-tailed Hawk vs Sharp-shinned Hawk

Buteo jamaicensis compared with Accipiter striatus

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Red-tailed Hawk	Sharp-shinned Hawk
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order same	Accipitriformes (Hawks & Eagles)	Accipitriformes (Hawks & Eagles)
Family same	Accipitridae (Hawks & Eagles)	Accipitridae (Hawks & Eagles)
Genus	Buteo	Accipiter
Species	Buteo jamaicensis	Accipiter striatus

Evolutionary Relationship

Red-tailed Hawk and Sharp-shinned Hawk share a common ancestor at the Family level: Accipitridae. (Hawks & Eagles)

Conservation Status

Red-tailed Hawk

LC — Least Concern

Sharp-shinned Hawk

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Red-tailed Hawk	Sharp-shinned Hawk
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Red-tailed Hawk

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (5 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia).

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, United States, and Venezuela.

Red-tailed Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇨🇴 Colombia 🇳🇴 Norway 🇺🇸 United States