Hawks in Oregon: Where to See Them and How to Identify Them

Eastern Oregon's open high desert offers the best odds for Red-tailed and Ferruginous Hawks. The Willamette Valley's farmlands and oak savannas hold Red-shouldered and Swainson's Hawks in summer. Coastal headlands like Cape Meares see migrating Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks in spring and fall. Check our Oregon wildlife page for more regional tips.

In Oregon, hawks sightings usually improve when you slow down and match your first stop to where in the state sightings are most likely. Use the state wildlife hub and the route guide to narrow your first area, then check access, weather, and distance before you settle in. A short walk with one clear viewing plan often beats covering too much ground, especially when habitat changes fast from open edges to brush, wetlands, timber, shoreline, or neighborhood cover.

Spring migration (March-May) and fall (September-October) bring the highest numbers. Early morning, from sunrise to about 10 a.m., is prime hunting time. On warm afternoons, look for hawks circling in thermals. Winter is good for resident Red-tails and Rough-legged Hawks in open fields.

Start with the tail. Red-tailed Hawks have a rusty red upper tail (adults). Red-shouldered Hawks show bold black-and-white bands on tail and wings. Cooper's Hawks have a rounded tail with a white tip, while Sharp-shinned Hawks have a square tail. Northern Harriers have a white rump patch and glide low over marshes. For detailed identification help, visit our hawk species hub.

See our state animal guide for the next step.

Red-tailed Hawks thrive in open country with scattered trees. Red-shouldered Hawks stick to bottomland forests and swamps. Cooper's Hawks hunt backyard birds in suburbs. Northern Harriers patrol wetlands and grasslands. Ferruginous Hawks favor dry sagebrush steppe east of the Cascades.

Bonney Butte near Mount Hood is a renowned migration monitoring site run by HawkWatch International. The autumnal raptor count there peaks in September. Other good spots include the Klamath Basin, Sauvie Island, and the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Spring watch sites along the Columbia River Gorge also offer good flights.