By Tony Croasdale, Environmental Educator
Parks & Rec’s 10,000+ acres of parkland provide habit for animals and birds. We recently spotted some unique newcomers in our midst. The new residents are a pair of Red-shouldered Hawks. This spring, they started nesting on the grounds of the Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Center (CCCEC). This is the first known nest of this species in Philadelphia.
Red-shoulder Hawks are usually seen in Philadelphia in the winter and during migration. They are rarely found here during the mid-spring to summer breeding season.
The hawks built their nest in a large American sycamore tree. You can find it between the environmental center and the outdoor classroom benches. It is remarkable that the hawks chose this busy location. The hawks built their nest over a bridge that crosses Cobbs Creek. This is a major route for people walking between West Philadelphia and Upper Darby.
Other than the busy location of the nest, its not surprising the hawks chose this part of Cobbs Creek Park. Red-shouldered hawks are most abundant in wet forests. They have a fondness for eating frogs. Naylor’s Run Wetland is very close to the nest, where American toads and green frogs breed.
Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo linateus) is a medium sized hawk. Size-wise, the birds are in-between Philadelphia’s two most common hawk species—the Red-tailed Hawk and Cooper’s Hawk. Red-shoulders are in the same genus as Red-tails, Buteo. Buteos have long and broad wings with a short and wide tail. In my opinion, Red-shoulders are our region’s most beautiful bird of prey.
How can you identify a Red-shouldered Hawk?
To identify the red-should hawks, here are some characteristics to look for:
- Dark brown at the top.
- A dense peachy-rusty barring across the chest.
- A white belly.
- Bold black and white striped tail.
- Patches of rusty red across top of the wings give the hawk its common name.
Young red-shoulder hawks lack the boldly marked tail and chest barring. This makes them difficult to tell apart from their cousins, the Red-tail Hawks.
When the birds are in flight, there’s a trick to identifying them. Look at the outer tips of their wing feathers. Both adult and young Red-shoulder Hawks have a crescent-shaped patch of pale markings there.
Where to see the Red-shoulder Hawk nest
The nest can be best seen from the Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Center parking lot. Here’s how to find it:
- Stand between the parking spaces and the fence near the information kiosk.
- Look over the fenced in area to find the large tree on the far right. The tree has white patches of bark.
- You’ll see the nest at the base of a large branch.
Please stop in the center and ask the staff to show you the nest in the telescope.
Use Parks & Rec's map-based Finder app to locate programs offered at our environmental centers.
