Juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawks (Identification Guide with Pictures)

The Sharp-shinned hawk is the smallest North American member of the Accipiter genus. This compact hawk is only slightly smaller than a crow but larger than a robin.

There are about ten subspecies, varying in size and plumage, with males, females, and juveniles having different plumage. This is a guide for juvenile sharp eagles.

Juvenile sharp hawks are darker in color than adults and lack the bluish-gray wings and upper body of adult birds. They have vertical stripes on their abdomen and thorax and rough dark brown stripes on their wings.

In some subspecies juveniles have gray striped plumage and white underparts. They may also have brown and red spots.

In general, the juvenile plumage is grayer, browner, and heavily striped compared to the more delicate, contrasting white, brown, and blue-gray adult plumage.

Of course, that’s not all you need to know about juvenile sharp eagles – so read on to find out more!

juvenile sharp eagle

adult horned eagle

What did baby Sharp-shinned Hawks look like?

Juvenile Sharp-shinned hawks are predominantly brown with rough vertical stripes (bars). Some subspecies are grayer in color while others are darker in color.

For example, a member of A. (s.) abdominal muscles (Rate-breasted hawk, sometimes considered to be a distinct species from the sharp-shined hawk) tends to have reddish-brown striped underparts with black marks on the underparts. Also, the stripes near the wingtips are darker and more defined, and the stripes on the tail are mottled and heavy.

In general, young birds of the darker subspecies may have darker plumage themselves, while immature birds of the lighter subspecies may have lighter plumage.

In all cases, juveniles were darker, grayer, and more barred than adult males or females. They do not have the sturdier and contrasting blue-gray wings and paler stomachs of adults.

Another key difference is that juveniles have yellow irises, while adults have dark orange irises.

First Sharp-shinned Hawk in flight

What color are the juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawks?

Juveniles are predominantly brown with some whitish-brown underparts. The wings are grayer with thicker bands, while the undersides are browner with thinner bands.

Predominant colors are brown and gray, lacking the blue-gray color of adult animals. There are subtle differences between the different subspecies, but juveniles are predominantly brown with light and dark brown stripes.

How big are juvenile sharp eagles?

Sharp-shinned hawks are smaller, with females weighing 150 to 220 grams and males slightly under 82 to 120 grams.

There is little data on how large the juveniles are, but juveniles grow very quickly and reach adult size and weight very quickly. Therefore, it can be difficult to distinguish juvenile sharpened hawks from adults based solely on size and weight.

Sharp-shinned Hawk juvenile plumage can vary considerably among the 10 subspecies

What do juvenile sharp eagles eat?

Sharp-edged hawks eat meat like adults. However, their hunting abilities are largely innate, and they are able to capture a range of prey within a few weeks of hatching. Parents feed their young hawks for the first few weeks to help them grow as they learn to hunt effectively.

In one study, young hawks attempted to hunt prey when they were about two weeks old, but the only successful hunting attempt observed took 51 to 68 days to achieve (the prey was a lizard in Puerto Rico).

Behavioral differences between adults and juvenile pointed eagles

Feathers are the most reliable way to tell an adult bird from a juvenile, but you can also see if the bird has paired with another bird, which will tell you that it has reached sexual maturity and therefore is not a juvenile.

Juveniles are proficient at hunting within a month or two, but have been observed aiming at prey that is too large for them and failing like a typical frenetic juvenile!

So if you see a brown-striped hawk that you think is a razor-sharp hawk aiming for impractically large prey, it’s almost certainly a juvenile — though that’s rarely the case See!

Immature sharp eagle looking for prey in the backyard

How long will Sharp-shinned Hawk juvenile feathers last?

After four weeks, the chicks’ plumage is relatively well developed. Juvenile plumage is predominantly brown or grey-brown with rough stripes.

Juvenile plumage lasts until around May of the following year, when juveniles begin to molt into their basic adult plumage. A study in Oregon found that molting begins in June and lasts about four months.

How old is a juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawk?

You can define a juvenile Sharp-shinned hawk as a bird that has not yet molted into adult plumage or reached sexual maturity.

This continues until the bird is several months old. Sharp-edged hawks remain juveniles for at least a year until they lose their juvenile feathers a year or so after hatching.

However, they do not reach sexual maturity for a year after that.So, you could argue that Sharp hawks are young until about 2 years old.

Young sharp eagle perched on the ground

How long will baby Sharp-shinned Hawks stay with their parents?

Like many birds of prey, young sharp eagles remain under the watchful eye of their parents after they leave the nest and are able to fly. This goes on for a month or so while the birds learn to fly expertly and find themselves.

During this time, the parents continue to feed the chicks and they do not stray too far from the nest.

Other Species That Look Similar to Juvenile Sharp Eagles

Sharp hawks are often confused with Cooper’s hawks.

In their standard adult plumage, both the Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s hawk have blue-gray wings and upper bodies with brown or brownish-white stomachs. However, the Cooper’s hawk is much larger, with a more pronounced head and whiter belly.

As juveniles, young Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s hawks are predominantly brown with light and dark stripes, although Cooper’s hawks have more contrasting stripes, while Sharp-shinneds are more subtle.

The size of the hawk and the shape of the head also help, as cooper’s hawks have larger heads and are usually larger than crows, while pointed hawks are usually smaller than crows.

juvenile sharp eagle perched on a tree

What are immature Sharp-shinned Hawks called?

Juvenile sharp eagles do not have specific names. These birds are sometimes simply called “Sharpies”.