 Breeding evidence |
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Click on plot to view table of mean abundance
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Number of squares
Long-term BBS trends
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0.819 (0.17 - 1.51)|
Mean abundance (number of birds detected per 5 min. point count) and percentage of squares occupied by region Bird Conservation Regions [abund. plot]
[%squares plot]
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Atlas Results
Atlas results coming soon
Excerpts Adapted from the Birds of Saskatchewan:
The smallest of Saskatchewan's 3 accipiters, the Sharp-shinned Hawk is a regular sight in the southern third of the province in spring and fall, less predictable in summer. The Sharp-shinned Hawk has a huge Pan-American range. It breeds from Alaska, western and southern Northwest Territories, northern Saskatchewan, northern Ontario, and southern Labrador south through the US and the highlands of Mexico and Central America, much of South America, and the Greater Antilles. In winter, it withdraws from most of Alaska and Canada except the coastal and Great Lakes-St Lawrence regions (AOU 1998).
The Sharp-shinned Hawk prefers forested areas and wooded valleys, where the manoeuvrability and speed of its short, powerful wingbeats allow it to efficiently hunt down elusive winged prey. This hawk nests in a variety of forest types. It apparently requires valleys and larger tracts of woodland than the Cooper's Hawk (Smith 1996). During migration it may be seen in all types of closed or semi-open habitats.
The Sharp-shinned Hawk's breeding abundance varies considerably, from fairly common in the boreal forest, to uncommon in the subarctic, parklands, and Cypress Hills, and uncommon and very local in the grasslands (Smith 1996). It is fairly common as a spring and fall migrant south of its breeding range.
Original text by Stéphane Gérard. Text adapted by Daniel J. Sawatzky
Read more about the Sharp-shinned Hawk in the Birds of Saskatchewan here.
Recommended citation: Latremouille, L. M. 2025. Sharp-shinned Hawk in Latremouille, L. M., S. L. Van Wilgenburg, C. B. Jardine, D. Lepage, A. R. Couturier, D. Evans, D. Iles, and K. L. Drake (eds.). 2025. The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Saskatchewan, 2017-2021. Birds Canada. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan https://sk.birdatlas.ca/accounts/speciesaccount.jsp?sp=SSHA&lang=en [09 Nov 2025]
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