Sharp-shinned Hawk
Sharp-shinned HawkSharp-shinned HawkSharp-shinned HawkSharp-shinned Hawk

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Accipiter striatus

Silhouette: Shyamal · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Denver

In 3 days ~10%

1,023 Verified sightings at Denver
6,292 In all 70 parks From 2019 to 2026
January Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Sharp-shinned Hawk

The sharp-shinned hawk (Accipiter striatus) or northern sharp-shinned hawk, colloquially often nicknamed sharpie, is a small hawk, with males being the smallest hawks in the United States and Canada, but with the species averaging larger than some Neotropical species, such as the tiny hawk. The taxonomy is far from resolved, with some authorities considering the southern taxa to represent three separate species, white-breasted hawk (A. chionogaster), plain-breasted hawk (A. ventralis), and rufous-thighed hawk (A. erythronemius). The American Ornithological Society and some other checklists keep all four species conspecific. A recent genetic study additionally recommended splitting the three Caribbean island populations as three additional separate species, though this has not yet been adopted by any of the ornithological authorities.

The sharp-shinned hawk is sometimes separated into four species, with the northern group (see distribution) retaining both the scientific name and the common name sharp-shinned hawk (A. striatus). Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song0:04

Brazil · 2022

© William Zaca · XC1102086 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Begging call0:29

United States · 2022

© William Whitehead · XC747525 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Call0:06

Brazil · 2016

© Thiago Augusto Mendes Pinheiro · XC600402 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
2 Celaque National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%
3 El Triunfo 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
4 El Palmar National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~10%
5 Guadalupe Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
6 Isle Royale National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
7 Grand Canyon National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
8 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
9 Death Valley National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
10 Glacier National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
11 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
12 Iberá National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
<5%
13 Denali National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
14 Grand Teton National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
15 Riding Mountain National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
16 Cape Breton Highlands National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
17 Kluane National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
18 Yellowstone National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
19 Elk Island National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
20 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
21 Redwood National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
22 Rocky Mountain National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
23 Zion National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
24 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
25 Cumbres de Monterrey National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
26 Cusuco National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
27 Chapada Diamantina National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
28 Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
29 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
30 Yosemite National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
31 Henri Pittier National Park 🇻🇪 Venezuela
<5%
32 La Tigra National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
33 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
34 Joshua Tree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
35 El Impenetrable National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
<5%
36 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
37 Cañón del Sumidero National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
38 Gros Morne National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
39 Los Nevados National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
40 Saguaro National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
41 Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
42 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
43 Banff National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
44 Chingaza National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
45 Jasper National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
46 Pacific Rim National Park Reserve 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
47 Itatiaia National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
48 Podocarpus National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
49 Irazú Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
50 Chirripó National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
51 Congaree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
52 El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
53 Volcán Barú National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
54 Santa Rosa National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
55 Bahía de Loreto National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
56 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
57 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
58 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
59 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
60 Iguazú National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
<5%
61 Iguaçu National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
62 Los Quetzales National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
63 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
<5%
64 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
65 Farallones de Cali National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
66 Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
67 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
68 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
69 Tijuca National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
70 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Salt Lake City 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
2 São Paulo 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
3 Calgary 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
4 Mexico City 🇲🇽 México
<5%
5 Sacramento 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
6 Las Vegas 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
7 Toronto 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
8 Philadelphia 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
9 Curitiba 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
10 Edmonton 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Birds of prey 🇨🇦 Canada In captivity
2 Carolina Raptor Center 🇺🇸 United States In captivity

Closest Relatives at Denver

Red-tailed Hawk
LC

Red-tailed Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo jamaicensis

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Bald Eagle
LC

Bald Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Swainson's Hawk
LC

Swainson's Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo swainsoni

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Hen Harrier
LC

Hen Harrier

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Circus cyaneus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Ferruginous Hawk
LC

Ferruginous Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo regalis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Golden Eagle
LC

Golden Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Aquila chrysaetos

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Broad-winged Hawk
LC

Broad-winged Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo platypterus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Rough-legged Hawk
LC

Rough-legged Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo lagopus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Mississippi Kite
LC

Mississippi Kite

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Ictinia mississippiensis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Turkey Vulture
LC

Turkey Vulture

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cathartes aura

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Osprey
LC

Osprey

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Pandion haliaetus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Northern Flicker
LC

Northern Flicker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Colaptes auratus

Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Sharp-shinned Hawk in Denver?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Sharp-shinned Hawk sighting in Denver on a given day, based on 1,023 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 113th most-seen of the 299 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Sharp-shinned Hawk in Denver?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Sharp-shinned Hawk in Denver on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Sharp-shinned Hawk?

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Sharp-shinned Hawk sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Denver the best place to see a Sharp-shinned Hawk?

19th of 50

Of the 50 cities where we can rate Sharp-shinned Hawk sightings, Denver ranks 19th at under 5%. The best odds are in Salt Lake City (United States, about 10%), São Paulo (Brazil, about 10%) and Calgary (Canada, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Sharp-shinned Hawk live in Denver?

Same family: Accipitridae

The closest relatives of the Sharp-shinned Hawk that you can see in Denver (family Accipitridae, Hawks, Eagles, and Kites) are Red-tailed Hawk (about 40%), Bald Eagle (about 10%) and Swainson's Hawk (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Sharp-shinned Hawk sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Sharp-shinned Hawk is recorded against all the birds logged in Denver (1,023 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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