Red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus) COSEWIC assessment and status reportchapter 12

Existing Protection or Other Status Designations

This species, but not its habitat, is protected by provincial game and fish legislation. The global status for Red-shouldered Hawks is G5 (reviewed 1996), and in the United States it is N5, although it is considered a species of concern in some states (NatureServe 2005). In Canada it is ranked as N4B (NatureServe 2005) and was classified as Special Concern by COSEWIC in 1996. The IUCN considers the Red-shouldered Hawk a species of Lesser Concern (BirdLife International 2004).

In Ontario, Red-shouldered Hawks are classified as Special Concern by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and have an S-Rank of S4B. In Ontario, nests on Crown land receive protection during the Forest Management Planning Process using spatial and temporal buffers. These guidelines require the establishment of a 28-ha area of concern to protect nesting areas that have been active at least once in the last five years (Naylor et al. 2004). In addition, Red-shouldered Hawk habitat is modelled during the preparation of forest management plans for Crown land using spatial suitability models. Active nests are also afforded protection under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act (1997), and the species is a Specially Protected Raptor under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act.

In Quebec, the species is also ranked as S4 and was officially removed from the "Liste des espèces de la faune vertébrée susceptibles d'être désignées menacées ou vulnérables" by the government of Quebec in 2003 (Shaffer and Dionne 2004). This decision was taken in light of the information contained in a provincial status report for the species in Quebec (Morneau and Dionne 1996). In Quebec, the Red-shouldered Hawk is protected under Section 26 of the Act respecting the conservation and development of wildlife. In New Brunswick, the Red-shouldered Hawk is ranked as S2B and is listed as "May Be At Risk", although the latter is not a legal designation.

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