Red-shouldered Hawk

This feather is a secondary flight feather of a Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus). It displays the classic stark alternating dark brown and translucent white banding characteristic of this medium-sized raptor. Red-shouldered Hawks are vocal, forest-dwelling raptors with reddish-brown chests, checkerboard wing patterns, and dark tails with thin white bars.

Dark brown to brownish-black background with bold, high-contrast white bands or bars across the inner vane and extending partly into the outer vane. The base features fluffy white plumulaceous down.

Pennaceous structure on the upper shaft with tightly interlocked barbs; loose, soft plumulaceous structure at the base near the calamus.

Dark brownish-grey central rachis on the dorsal side, paler underneath; rigid shaft with a slight lateral curve and fine, densely packed barbs.

Smooth, firm, and slightly stiff across the pennaceous web; soft, fluffy, and silky at the plumulaceous base.

Wing (Secondary flight feather from the inner or middle section of the wing)

Bold white transverse bars contrasting against a dark brown background, distinctly asymmetrical vane indicating a flight feather, and soft plumulaceous down at the base.

Deciduous and mixed lowland forests, wooded swamps, riparian corridors, and suburban wooded neighborhoods with adjacent open areas or water sources.

Eastern North America from southern Canada down to Florida and eastern Mexico, as well as a distinct population along the Pacific coast (California and Oregon). Resident year-round in South Carolina.

Apex mesopredator in forest ecosystems, helping regulate populations of small rodents, snakes, frogs, and insects. Serves as a vital indicator species for healthy wetland and riparian forest corridors.

Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus) secondary feathers have fewer, broader white bands. Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) wing feathers have muted grey-brown banding rather than bold crisp white spots/bars.

Red-shouldered Hawks are famous for their loud, ringing 'kee-rah' calls. They often return to the exact same nesting territory year after year and specialize in hunting amphibians, reptiles, small mammals, and crustaceans like crayfish.

Feathers of raptors hold deep spiritual significance in many Native American cultures, symbolising strength, courage, and vision. However, commercial use is prohibited by federal conservation laws.

Look under tall pine or hardwood roost trees near creeks or swampy edges during the late spring and summer molt period (May-August). The high-contrast white checkering/barring on a dark feather is diagnostic.

Fair to Good. Shows some wear and separation along the inner vane barbs, with minor fraying along the edges, likely a naturally molted feather.

Camden, South Carolina