West · Pacific Flyway
Hawks in Oregon
Hawks in Oregon come down to 10 species with regular eBird records, led by the Red-tailed Hawk. Together they account for 423,743 of the 17 million eBird records from 2020–2024 — 2.5% of everything reported in the state.
The full list: Red-tailed Hawk, Northern Harrier, Cooper's Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Swainson's Hawk, Ferruginous Hawk, American Goshawk and Broad-winged 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 Oregon: 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) — 213,815 records, 1.3% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
2. Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus) — 83,052 records, 0.5% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
3. Cooper's Hawk (Astur cooperii) — 44,866 records, 0.3% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
4. Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) — 29,761 records, 0.2% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
5. Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus) — 21,483 records, 0.1% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from August to April and peaking in October.
6. Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus) — 11,960 records, 0.07% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from November to March and peaking in January.
7. Swainson's Hawk (Buteo swainsoni) — 11,543 records, 0.07% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from April to September and peaking in May.
8. Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis) — 5,783 records, 0.03% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
9. American Goshawk (Astur atricapillus) — 1,400 records, 0.01% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from March to November and peaking in August.
10. Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus) — 80 records, 0.00% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in September with a peak in September.
When to see hawks in Oregon
Adding up every species’ share of state eBird records month by month, hawks are most prominent in January, December and November and least in June and July. 5 of the 10 species are year-round — Red-tailed Hawk, Northern Harrier, Cooper's Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk and Ferruginous Hawk — so there is no month without them.
Summer visitors. Swainson's Hawk arrives around April and is mostly gone after September (peak May); American Goshawk arrives around March and is mostly gone after November (peak August).
Winter visitors. Sharp-shinned Hawk arrives around August and leaves after April (peak October); Rough-legged Hawk arrives around November and leaves after March (peak January).
Passage migrants. Broad-winged Hawk is reported mainly in September.
Attracting hawks to Oregon 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 Oregon the hawk most likely to turn up is the Red-tailed Hawk, a year-round resident, followed by the Northern Harrier. Its own page covers month-by-month activity and attraction tips for this state.
Hawks in Oregon: FAQ
How many species of hawks are there in Oregon?
10 species of hawks have regular eBird records in Oregon (at least 25 records in 2020–2024): Red-tailed Hawk, Northern Harrier, Cooper's Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Swainson's Hawk, Ferruginous Hawk, American Goshawk and Broad-winged Hawk.
What is the most common hawk in Oregon?
The Red-tailed Hawk, with 213,815 eBird records in 2020–2024, followed by the Northern Harrier with 83,052. It is a year-round resident, reported in every month.
When is the best time to see hawks in Oregon?
January, December and November, when the combined share of Oregon eBird records belonging to hawks is highest. Summer visitors such as the Swainson's Hawk arrive around April. Winter visitors such as the Sharp-shinned Hawk arrive around August.
More birds in Oregon
Hawks in other states
Hawks in Oregon: 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: Oregon 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.