South · Mississippi Flyway
Hawks in Tennessee
Hawks in Tennessee come down to 9 species with regular eBird records, led by the Red-tailed Hawk. Together they account for 183,899 of the 8.7 million eBird records from 2020–2024 — 2.1% of everything reported in the state.
The full list: Red-tailed Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Northern Harrier, Broad-winged Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Ferruginous Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk and Swainson'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 Tennessee: 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) — 68,101 records, 0.8% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
2. Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) — 62,088 records, 0.7% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
3. Cooper's Hawk (Astur cooperii) — 26,444 records, 0.3% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
4. Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus) — 11,356 records, 0.1% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from October to March and peaking in December.
5. Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus) — 10,382 records, 0.1% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from April to September and peaking in April.
6. Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus) — 5,260 records, 0.06% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from September to April and peaking in November.
7. Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis) — 122 records, 0.00% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from November to January and peaking in November.
8. Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus) — 93 records, 0.00% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from December to February and peaking in December.
9. Swainson's Hawk (Buteo swainsoni) — 53 records, 0.00% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in September and October with a peak in September.
When to see hawks in Tennessee
Adding up every species’ share of state eBird records month by month, hawks are most prominent in December, January and November and least in May and June. 3 of the 9 species are year-round — Red-tailed Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk and Cooper's Hawk — so there is no month without them.
Summer visitors. Broad-winged Hawk arrives around April and is mostly gone after September (peak April).
Winter visitors. Northern Harrier arrives around October and leaves after March (peak December); Sharp-shinned Hawk arrives around September and leaves after April (peak November); Ferruginous Hawk arrives around November and leaves after January (peak November); Rough-legged Hawk arrives around December and leaves after February (peak December).
Passage migrants. Swainson's Hawk is reported mainly in September and October.
Attracting hawks to Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee: FAQ
How many species of hawks are there in Tennessee?
9 species of hawks have regular eBird records in Tennessee (at least 25 records in 2020–2024): Red-tailed Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Northern Harrier, Broad-winged Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Ferruginous Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk and Swainson's Hawk.
What is the most common hawk in Tennessee?
The Red-tailed Hawk, with 68,101 eBird records in 2020–2024, followed by the Red-shouldered Hawk with 62,088. It is a year-round resident, reported in every month.
When is the best time to see hawks in Tennessee?
December, January and November, when the combined share of Tennessee eBird records belonging to hawks is highest. Summer visitors such as the Broad-winged Hawk arrive around April. Winter visitors such as the Northern Harrier arrive around October.
More birds in Tennessee
Hawks in other states
Hawks in Tennessee: 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: Tennessee 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.