After incubation, both sexes share in the hunting duties. The female, generally larger and heavier than the male, tends to catch the larger, slower prey, whereas the light, quick male hawk hunts smaller, more agile organisms. When not nesting, the red-shouldered is a solitary bird. It is also terrestrial, with a nesting and hunting territory of about 0.25 miles to 1 mile. This territory is aggressively defended during the spring.
Males perform a threat display when other male red-shouldered hawks enter their territories.
The red-shouldered hawk makes its nest in deciduous forests and swamps. The bird generally nests about 20 to 60 feet above the ground, in the crotch of hardwood trees in wet woodland areas. Nests are large and deep, constructed from sticks, twigs, shredded bark, leaves and green sprigs. When not in its nest, Buteo lineatus often perches on the top of dead trees in order to have an unimpeded view of the forest floor. Red-shouldered hawks in New England and the Great Lakes Region migrate south during the fall, returning north when summer arrives.