The Sharp-shinned Hawk breeds from Atlantic Canada to the west coast and from southern Ontario to the northern edge of the Yukon Territory. Although widespread, it is secretive and difficult to survey. Still, the Breeding Bird Survey suggests that the population has experienced a moderate increase since about 1970. The species preys on songbirds and is therefore susceptible to changes in their abundance. Sharp-shinned Hawks were assessed as Not at Risk in 1997 by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.
Sharp-shinned Hawks were heavily persecuted in the early 20th century (Farmer et al. 2008) and suffered reproductive failure and population declines between the 1940s and 1970s due to the widespread use of DDT (Snyder et al. 1973). They rebounded quickly during the 1970s and 1980s after the use of DDT was regulated (Bednarz et al. 1990). Abundance of Sharp-shinned Hawks in some regions may now exceed population levels from the pre-DDT era of the 1930s (Bednarz et al. 1990). Because the species preys on neotropical migrant songbirds, it may be indirectly susceptible to factors that influence their population status, such as loss of tropical forests (Viverette et al. 1996). However, population increases in recent years indicate that its current status in Canada is secure.
Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:
Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.
