Red-shouldered Hawk

This feather exhibits the iconic 'zebra-striping' of a Red-shouldered Hawk. The bird itself is a medium-sized raptor with a colorful reddish-brown breast and striking black-and-white checkered wings visible in flight. It is smaller than a Red-tailed Hawk but larger than a Broad-winged Hawk.

Bold, high-contrast alternating bands of dark chocolate-brown (melanin-heavy) and creamy white. The tip is dark-hemmed, a diagnostic feature for many Buteo species.

Mostly pennaceous and tightly interlocked toward the tip for flight stability, becoming plumulaceous (fluffy) and loose near the base (calamus).

Smooth and firm on the pennaceous vane with a slightly velvety feel typical of raptors; the underside is more matte and lighter in color.

Boldly banded dark brown and white pattern; broad, rounded shape; lacks the reddish hues of a tail feather but matches the wing pattern of Buteo lineatus.

Deciduous and mixed woodlands, often near water sources such as swamps, rivers, and flooded forests.

Common across the Eastern United States, parts of the California coast, and into Mexico. Generally a year-round resident in the south, while northern populations may migrate.

An apex predator in woodland ecosystems, controlling populations of small mammals, amphibians, and reptiles (snakes).

Broad-winged Hawk (shorter, fewer bands), Red-tailed Hawk (immature has thinner, more numerous bands), and Coopers Hawk (narrower feather, different banding ratio).

Red-shouldered Hawks are highly vocal birds, often heard screaming a repetitive 'kee-aah' call. They are known for returning to the same nesting territory year after year.

Fair to Good. There is some separation of the barbs (zipper effect broken) near the base and a piece of debris caught in the plumulaceous section, suggesting it was naturally molted.