South · Central Flyway
Hawks in Texas
Hawks in Texas come down to 17 species with regular eBird records, led by the Red-tailed Hawk. Together they account for 1,010,462 of the 35 million eBird records from 2020–2024 — 2.9% of everything reported in the state.
The full list: Red-tailed Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Northern Harrier, Cooper's Hawk, Harris's Hawk, Swainson's Hawk, White-tailed Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, Gray-lined Hawk, Zone-tailed Hawk, Ferruginous Hawk, Roadside Hawk, Common Black Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Crane Hawk and Short-tailed 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 Texas: 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) — 255,884 records, 0.7% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
2. Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) — 245,194 records, 0.7% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
3. Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus) — 134,250 records, 0.4% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from October to April and peaking in January.
4. Cooper's Hawk (Astur cooperii) — 118,915 records, 0.3% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
5. Harris's Hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus) — 55,929 records, 0.2% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from October to March and peaking in November.
6. Swainson's Hawk (Buteo swainsoni) — 52,597 records, 0.1% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from April to October and peaking in April.
7. White-tailed Hawk (Buteo albicaudatus) — 37,745 records, 0.1% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from September to April and peaking in November.
8. Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus) — 33,574 records, 0.10% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from September to April and peaking in October.
9. Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus) — 29,114 records, 0.08% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in March, April, May and June with a peak in September.
10. Gray-lined Hawk (Buteo nitidus) — 25,917 records, 0.07% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from October to April and peaking in November.
11. Zone-tailed Hawk (Buteo albonotatus) — 10,241 records, 0.03% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
12. Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis) — 5,849 records, 0.02% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from October to February and peaking in December.
The remaining 5 species — Roadside Hawk, Common Black Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Crane Hawk and Short-tailed Hawk — are recorded regularly but in smaller numbers; see the cards above for their status.
When to see hawks in Texas
Adding up every species’ share of state eBird records month by month, hawks are most prominent in January, November and December and least in May and July. 4 of the 17 species are year-round — Red-tailed Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Cooper's Hawk and Zone-tailed Hawk — so there is no month without them.
Summer visitors. Swainson's Hawk arrives around April and is mostly gone after October (peak April); Common Black Hawk arrives around April and is mostly gone after August (peak June).
Winter visitors. Northern Harrier arrives around October and leaves after April (peak January); Harris's Hawk arrives around October and leaves after March (peak November); White-tailed Hawk arrives around September and leaves after April (peak November); Sharp-shinned Hawk arrives around September and leaves after April (peak October); Gray-lined Hawk arrives around October and leaves after April (peak November); Ferruginous Hawk arrives around October and leaves after February (peak December).
Passage migrants. Broad-winged Hawk is reported mainly in March, April, May and June; Crane Hawk is reported mainly in January and February; Short-tailed Hawk is reported mainly in April and September.
Attracting hawks to Texas 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 Texas 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 Texas: FAQ
How many species of hawks are there in Texas?
17 species of hawks have regular eBird records in Texas (at least 25 records in 2020–2024): Red-tailed Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Northern Harrier, Cooper's Hawk, Harris's Hawk, Swainson's Hawk, White-tailed Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, Gray-lined Hawk, Zone-tailed Hawk, Ferruginous Hawk, Roadside Hawk, Common Black Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Crane Hawk and Short-tailed Hawk.
What is the most common hawk in Texas?
The Red-tailed Hawk, with 255,884 eBird records in 2020–2024, followed by the Red-shouldered Hawk with 245,194. It is a year-round resident, reported in every month.
When is the best time to see hawks in Texas?
January, November and December, when the combined share of Texas eBird records belonging to hawks is highest. Summer visitors such as the Swainson's Hawk arrive around April. Winter visitors such as the Northern Harrier arrive around October.
More birds in Texas
Hawks in other states
Hawks in Texas: 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: Texas 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.