West · Pacific Flyway
Hawks in California
Hawks in California come down to 12 species with regular eBird records, led by the Red-tailed Hawk. Together they account for 2,080,748 of the 62 million eBird records from 2020–2024 — 3.3% of everything reported in the state.
The full list: Red-tailed Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Swainson's Hawk, Ferruginous Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Zone-tailed Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, American Goshawk and Harris's Hawk. Hawks range from the crow-sized accipiters that ambush songbirds at feeders to the broad-winged soaring buteos you see circling over highways. Many are year-round residents; others pass through in large numbers during spring and fall migration.
Hawks in California: every species, most-reported first
Every hawk with at least 25 eBird records in the state from 2020–2024, most-reported first. The status label is derived from each species’ own monthly share of all state records.
1. Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) — 919,428 records, 1.5% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
2. Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) — 513,771 records, 0.8% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
3. Cooper's Hawk (Astur cooperii) — 304,175 records, 0.5% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
4. Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus) — 205,137 records, 0.3% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from August to April and peaking in November.
5. Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus) — 56,904 records, 0.09% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from September to April and peaking in November.
6. Swainson's Hawk (Buteo swainsoni) — 45,817 records, 0.07% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from March to August and peaking in April.
7. Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis) — 24,677 records, 0.04% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from November to February and peaking in January.
8. Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus) — 5,415 records, 0.01% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from November to March and peaking in January.
9. Zone-tailed Hawk (Buteo albonotatus) — 1,887 records, 0.00% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from October to March and peaking in December.
10. Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus) — 1,497 records, 0.00% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in September and October with a peak in October.
11. American Goshawk (Astur atricapillus) — 1,121 records, 0.00% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from May to September and peaking in August.
12. Harris's Hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus) — 919 records, 0.00% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in January, February, March and September with a peak in February.
When to see hawks in California
Adding up every species’ share of state eBird records month by month, hawks are most prominent in January, February and December and least in August and May. 3 of the 12 species are year-round — Red-tailed Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk and Cooper's Hawk — so there is no month without them.
Summer visitors. Swainson's Hawk arrives around March and is mostly gone after August (peak April); American Goshawk arrives around May and is mostly gone after September (peak August).
Winter visitors. Northern Harrier arrives around August and leaves after April (peak November); Sharp-shinned Hawk arrives around September and leaves after April (peak November); Ferruginous Hawk arrives around November and leaves after February (peak January); Rough-legged Hawk arrives around November and leaves after March (peak January); Zone-tailed Hawk arrives around October and leaves after March (peak December).
Passage migrants. Broad-winged Hawk is reported mainly in September and October; Harris's Hawk is reported mainly in January, February, March and September.
Attracting hawks to California backyards
A hawk visiting a feeder is part of a healthy yard, not a problem to solve. Dense shrubs and brush piles within a few feet of feeders give small birds cover; if a hawk keys in on your feeder, taking it down for a few days usually moves the hawk along.
In California the hawk most likely to turn up is the Red-tailed Hawk, a year-round resident, followed by the Red-shouldered Hawk. Its own page covers month-by-month activity and attraction tips for this state.
Hawks in California: FAQ
How many species of hawks are there in California?
12 species of hawks have regular eBird records in California (at least 25 records in 2020–2024): Red-tailed Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Swainson's Hawk, Ferruginous Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Zone-tailed Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, American Goshawk and Harris's Hawk.
What is the most common hawk in California?
The Red-tailed Hawk, with 919,428 eBird records in 2020–2024, followed by the Red-shouldered Hawk with 513,771. It is a year-round resident, reported in every month.
When is the best time to see hawks in California?
January, February and December, when the combined share of California eBird records belonging to hawks is highest. Summer visitors such as the Swainson's Hawk arrive around March. Winter visitors such as the Northern Harrier arrive around August.
More birds in California
Hawks in other states
Hawks in California: sources
Every number on this page comes from the EOD – eBird Observation Dataset published by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and distributed through GBIF under a CC BY 4.0 license: California records from 2020–2024, retrieved 2026-09-18. Species are drawn from the families Accipitridae; only species with at least 25 records are listed, and a species is called a year-round resident when its monthly share of state records stays above 30% of its own peak in ten or more months. “Records” are individual eBird observations, so they reflect how often birders report a species, not a population count.