About the Sharp-shinned Hawk Drawing
My first memorable encounter with a Sharp-shinned Hawk occurred while I was watching songbirds at a feeder in Fort Worth, Texas. All the birds suddenly scattered as though their lives depended on it which, at that moment, they did. A Sharp-shinned Hawk swept through and caught a sparrow in midair, sending feathers everywhere. It flew directly past me with the bird in its talons and seemed to give me a startled look, as though to say, “Hey, I didn’t see you there.” It was an unforgettable introduction to these impressive little predators.
Sharp-shinned Hawks (Accipiter striatus) are the smallest hawks in the United States and Canada. Their short, rounded wings and long tails allow them to accelerate quickly and maneuver through dense vegetation while pursuing small birds. They often hunt by emerging suddenly from cover and can appear at backyard feeders, where concentrations of songbirds create tempting opportunities.
Despite their small size, Sharp-shinned Hawks are formidable hunters. Their long toes and sharply curved talons are adapted for seizing and holding fast-moving prey, and they commonly carry captured birds to a branch or stump where they remove the feathers before feeding. Females are substantially larger than males and are therefore able to capture larger prey.
Sharp-shinned Hawk populations declined during the era of widespread DDT use, but recovered after the pesticide was banned. The species is currently considered to be of low conservation concern, although these secretive forest hawks can be difficult to monitor outside the migration season.
In Tiny Terror, I portrayed the hawk perched quietly on a weathered log. Its compact body and composed posture contrast with the intense eye, hooked bill, sharp talons, and predatory ability suggested by the title. The drawing reflects the remarkable combination of small size, speed, agility, and power that made my first encounter with the species so memorable.
Tiny Terror is a graphite wildlife drawing of a Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus) by Michael E. Dorcas for Tantilla Art.