Buteos  vs. Accipiters

What are Buteos and Accipiters?

Buteos and accipiters are the two main hawk families. There are more but I am not going to cover them in this post.

Buteos-

Buteos are robust hawks with long wings. They can be seen flying in long, lazy circles in the sky or hunting from a perch. Some species of Buteos are the Red Tailed Hawk, Red Shouldered Hawk, Rough Legged Hawk, Gosh Hawk, Swainson's Hawk, and Broad Winged Hawk.

 

                                                           Swainson's Hawk

   Accipiters

Accipiters are short, round winged hawks with long tails. They spend their time in the forest and will fly directly into the bush and can be called "bush beaters." Some species of Accipiters are the Sharp Shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, and the Northern Gosh Hawk.