Short-tailed Hawk Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesShort-tailed Hawk
Adult light morph
Fairly small hawk with broad wings and long secondaries giving curve to trailing edge of wing. Light morph has neat white underparts including throat and narrow bands in tail.
© Dick Murray / Macaulay LibraryFlorida, June 26, 2018Adult dark morph
Dark morph has dark brown-black body and wing coverts. Flight feathers are barred white creating a checkered pattern. Tail has narrow white bands. In Florida, dark morphs individuals are more common than light morph.
© Luke Seitz / Macaulay LibraryPetén, December 18, 2016Adult dark morph
Soars high up before diving on perched birds. Note broad, slightly raised wings (can resemble Turkey Vulture flight). Dark morph (more common in Florida) shows white barring/checkering in the flight feathers even at distance.
© Benjamin Clock / Macaulay LibraryVeracruz, October 08, 2006Not all videos have sound
Adult light morph
Fairly small hawk with contrast between dark brown upperparts and clean white underparts, including throat. At close range can show faint brown markings on the sides of the breast. Note narrow bands on tail, darkest at tip.
© Jorge Torres Apolo / Macaulay LibraryEl Oro, October 05, 2020Adult light morph
Fairly small hawk with dark brown upperparts, brown markings on sides of breast, and clean white underparts.
© Chris Wood / Macaulay LibraryNayarit, January 09, 2004Adult dark morph
When perched, dark morph appears entirely sooty brown-black.
© Mark R Johnson / Macaulay LibraryFlorida, January 21, 2016Juvenile dark morph
Fairly small hawk with broad wings and long, "bulging" secondaries. Juvenile dark morph is dark brown but strongly spotted or streaked with white.
© David Hall / Macaulay LibraryFlorida, December 27, 2018Juvenile light morph
Juvenile light morph is buffy white below and often shows buffy streaks on the cheek.
© David McQuade / Macaulay LibraryFlorida, September 01, 2018Juvenile light morph
Juvenile light morphs are buffy white below, though the amount of buff is variable. Note buffy feathering on face, unlike adult. Short-tailed Hawks specialize in hunting birds.
© Maritta (Dodo Colombia) / Macaulay LibraryDistrito Capital de Bogotá, May 10, 2020Similar SpeciesBroad-winged Hawk
Adult light morph
Light-morph Broad-winged Hawks have blotchy brown barring on the chest and wide bands on the tail, unlike the Short-tailed Hawk's clean white underparts and narrowly banded tail.
© David Brown / Macaulay LibraryPennsylvania, September 20, 2016Similar SpeciesBroad-winged Hawk
Adult dark morph
Dark-morph Broad-winged Hawks are rare. They typically show broad tail bands, as light-morph Broad-wings do, and unlike the narrow tail bands of Short-tailed Hawk.
© Wayne Perala / Macaulay LibraryMinnesota, April 29, 2021Similar SpeciesRed-tailed Hawk
Adult (borealis)
Red-tailed Hawks are larger than Short-tailed Hawks, with a distinctive "belly band" of streaks and dark patagial marks (the bars on the leading edge of the wing between shoulder and wrist). Adults have a reddish tail especially visible from the upperside, often also visible from below.
© Jonathan Eckerson / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, February 18, 2017Similar SpeciesRed-shouldered Hawk
Adult (lineatus group)
Red-shouldered Hawks have more slender wings and longer tails than Short-tailed Hawks. They have reddish brown barred underparts, unlike the clean white underparts of Short-tailed Hawks.
© Bob MacDonnell / Macaulay LibraryConnecticut, February 14, 2013Rotate Your Device to Better Compare
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Species in This Family
Hawks, Eagles, and Kites(Order: Accipitriformes, Family: Accipitridae)
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