You’re only going to find these birds this far south in the winter, and it’s rare for them to travel as far south as Florida. If you’re up for a challenge and want to try spotting a rough-legged hawk in Florida – it can be extremely rewarding. Rare (Outside of typical migratory range) Image Credit: Greg Schechter from San Francisco, USA, Wikimedia Commons It’s a challenge to spot one, but they’re an impressive bird to behold. They soar incredibly high, and that’s how they hunt. Moreover, they rarely perch out in the open. That’s because typically, there are only about 500 short-tailed hawks in the state at one time. While these hawks are in Florida year-round, it’s extremely hard to spot one. These are warm-weather birds through and through, and they never head too far north to breed. You can spot them everywhere else on the peninsula during breeding seasons, but you won’t find them as far north as the panhandle. If you head down to the most southern regions of Florida, you can spot short-tailed hawks year-round. Short-Tailed Hawk Image Credit: Amendezg at en.wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons These birds are highly adaptable, and you can expect to find them just about anywhere.ħ. That’s because they breed in Northern climates and make the journey back down for the rest of the year. While you can find these birds year-round in Florida, you’ll find that there are far more of them in the winter. The red-tailed hawk is one of the common hawk species in the United States, and Florida is no exception. Red-Tailed Hawk Image Credit: MiniMe-70, Pixabay Still, enough of these birds make the mistake every year for you to be able to spot a few.Ħ. That’s because the Swainson’s Hawks in Florida are actually lost – instead of heading down the Gulf of Mexico, they went the wrong way and got stuck in Southern Florida. While you can see large swarms of these birds in Mexico and into Central America, you’re not likely to see that in Florida. You’re going to have to head down to the southernmost tip of the state during their non-breeding season, and even then that’s not where most of these hawks stay. It’s hard to spot a Swainson’s Hawk in Florida, but it’s not impossible. Swainson’s Hawk Image Credit: Becky Matsubara, Wikimedia Commons These birds are well known for their migration paths, and if you’re lucky enough to spot them in the middle of it, you can watch them travel by the thousands.ĥ. If you’re looking during the breeding season, you’ll need to head up to the panhandle, but if it’s the winter you’ll need to head to the very southern tip of the state.Įverything in between is the migratory path. While you can find a broad-winged hawk anywhere in Florida, you’ll need to know where to look depending on the time of year. Broad-Winged Hawk Image Credit: Russ, Wikimedia Commons The easiest way to spot them is to set up a bird feeder in your backyard and wait for one to come swooping in for a songbird.Ĥ. If you’re trying to spot a Cooper’s Hawk, you’re in luck. While they only travel down to the panhandle and the very southern tip of Florida during the winter, they reside throughout most of the state year-round. Cooper’s Hawk Image Credit: amberdawn1111, PixabayĬooper’s Hawk is one of the few hawk species you can find year-round in most of Florida. The hawks like to eat the songbirds that come for the food – so if you’re lucky, you might set yourself up for a show!Ģ. When you’re looking for sharp-shinned hawks, try and set up some bird feeders in the forest then watch from a distance. Once the weather starts to warm up, they head North. While you can find sharp-shinned hawks year-round in some Northern states, you’ll only find them in Florida during non-breeding periods. Sharp-Shinned Hawk Image Credit: Becky Matsubara, Wikimedia Commons You also need to know when they’re going to be around and where to look. When you’re trying to spot hawks, you need to know a little more than what they look like.
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