Nest site selection and productivity of suburban Red-shouldered Hawks in southern Ohio

We measured nest site selection and productivity of suburban-nesting Red-sh ouldered Hawks (Buteo lineatus) in southwestern Ohio and rural-nesting Red- shouldered Hawks in south-central Ohio. At both the suburban and the rural locations, nest sites had greater canopy height and overall tree basal area than paired random plots, and were located closer to water than were paire d random plots. Nest trees also had greater diameter and height than random plot-center trees. Reproductive rates at suburban and rural sites were sim ilar, averaging 2.6-3.1 nestlings per successful nest. Results indicated th at suburban-nesting Red-shouldered Hawks were very similar to rural-nesting hawks in both nest site selection and productivity, suggesting that Red-sh ouldered Hawks were habituated to their suburban environs.