The sharp-shinned hawk (Accipiter striatus) is a small bird of prey found throughout North America. Despite its small size, around the size of a blue jay, the sharp-shinned hawk is an aggressive and efficient predator. However, even this fierce avian predator can fall victim to larger predators. So what animals eat sharp-shinned hawks?
Natural Predators of Sharp-Shinned Hawks
As a relatively small bird of prey, sharp-shinned hawks can be preyed upon by a variety of larger predators. Some of the main natural predators of sharp-shinned hawks include:
Larger Hawks and Eagles
Larger raptors like red-tailed hawks, northern goshawks, and golden eagles may prey on sharp-shinned hawks, especially juveniles and smaller males. The larger and more powerful birds can overwhelm and kill the smaller sharp-shinned hawks.
Great Horned Owls
As opportunistic and powerful nocturnal hunters, great horned owls sometimes prey on roosting sharp-shinned hawks. The owls are capable of killing and eating even fully grown sharp-shins.
American Crows
While not always able to kill a healthy adult sharp-shinned hawk, American crows may mob, harass, and even kill weak, sick, injured, or juvenile sharp-shins. Crows are known for banding together to drive predators away or even kill them.
Raccoons
As omnivorous scavengers, raccoons will prey on eggs, nestlings, and roosting adult sharp-shinned hawks. Their dexterous paws allow them to access nests, and they can overwhelm adults while roosting.
Snakes
Certain large constrictor snakes like rat snakes and black racers sometimes prey on roosting adult sharp-shinned hawks. The snakes can strike, coil around, and squeeze the life out of the birds.
Unnatural Causes of Mortality
In addition to natural predation, sharp-shinned hawk populations face threats from humans, habitat loss, and other unnatural causes. Some of the main unnatural causes of mortality for sharp-shinned hawks include:
Collisions
Collisions with human structures and vehicles is a significant cause of death for sharp-shinned hawks. Their low, fast flight puts them at risk of crashing into buildings, power lines, wind turbines, aircraft, and cars.
Electrocution
When perching or nesting on power lines and poles, sharp-shinned hawks are vulnerable to electrocution from the electrical currents. Uninsulated wires and transformers put the birds at risk of being killed.
Poisoning
The use of pesticides, insecticides, and rodenticides can poison and kill sharp-shinned hawks through contaminated prey consumption and secondary poisoning. For example, DDT previously devastated hawk populations.
Illegal Hunting
Despite being protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, some sharp-shinned hawks still fall victim to illegal shooting and trapping. Conflicts with domestic poultry may provoke retaliation killings.
Habitat Loss
Widespread habitat loss and forest fragmentation across North America has reduced nesting sites and hunting grounds for sharp-shinned hawks. Deforestation continues to threaten populations.
Defense Against Predators
To help defend themselves against predators and survive the many threats they face, sharp-shinned hawks possess several key adaptations and strategies:
Camouflage
Their barred gray and white plumage provides excellent camouflage in their wooded habitats, helping the hawks blend into the dappled light and shadows of the forests to evade detection.
Speed and Agility
With their compact bodies and long tails, sharp-shinned hawks are extremely fast and agile in flight. This allows them to outmaneuver many would-be predators. They can dive, dodge, and weave through dense cover.
Surprise Ambush Hunting
When hunting, sharp-shins rely on stealth and surprise attacks from concealed perches to overwhelm their prey before it can react. This same ambush strategy helps them evade and surprise predators as well.
Mobbing
When threatened, sharp-shinned hawks may band together with other small birds like chickadees to harass, distract, and drive off potential predators through mobbing behavior.
Nest Defense
During breeding season, sharp-shinned hawks, especially females, become very aggressive in defending their nest. They will dive bomb, strike, and attempt to drive away any animal that approaches too closely, even much larger predators.
Sharp-Shinned Hawk Predators: Conclusion
Despite being fierce predators in their own right, even sharp-shinned hawks fall prey to a variety of natural predators as well as unnatural threats from humans. Larger raptors, owls, corvids, raccoons, and snakes all opportunistically prey on sharp-shins when given the chance. However, the hawks have evolved adaptations like speed, agility, camouflage, and mobbing behaviors to help them avoid attacks and defend themselves. While a diversity of predators helps keep sharp-shinned hawk populations stable, habitat loss and human-caused mortalities remain ongoing threats to the species requiring conservation efforts. Protecting forests and reducing unnatural hazards will help ensure the continued survival of these small but mighty raptors across North America.