ABSTRACT
The diet of the Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) has been described in at least 12 states. The diet of this species has not yet been described in Florida, although this state contains an endemic subspecies (B. l. extimus) first described more than 100 years ago. This study characterizes the prey items Red-shouldered Hawks provided to their nestlings in southern Florida using nest cameras at 2 nests in spring 2018 and 4 nests in spring 2019. Seventy-two percent of 1,024 recorded prey deliveries were identifiable to class. Reptiles and amphibians were the most frequently consumed prey classes, as expected, given that Red-shouldered Hawks were previously found to consume more mammals in their northern range and more amphibians and reptiles in their southern range. The diet breadth was lowest at the most urban nest in this study. Each pair successfully fledged all nestlings present when the cameras were installed, although they provided a wide variety of prey amounts and types.
