The Red-Shouldered Hawk should perhaps be called the “Red-Bellied Hawk,” as the Pacific race has undersides of a deep, bright rusty color. The red-shouldered name comes from the eastern US. populations that exhibit this color only on their “shoulders,” which are actually their wrists. These medium-sized hawks prefer mixed deciduous and riparian forests but unlike other soaring hawks do not shy away from populated areas and can be found nesting in lower Bidwell Park as well as in a few well-treed neighborhoods. They are common along roadsides, sitting on power poles. Besides reddish undersides, their black and white barred wings and banded tail make them easy to recognize.
As with most hawks, the female is larger than the male. In a nest 20 to 50 feet above ground both male and female guard the nest and incubate the eggs. After hatching, the female does most of the brooding of the young while the male does most of the hunting for the offspring. The eggs hatch asynchronously, so the oldest and biggest young get the first chance at the delivered food; in lean years the youngest hawks may starve.