Records are scarce.
One banded bird lived to be 12 years of age. The sexes are similar in appearance, but the female is about one-third larger than the male. The species is easily confused with the Cooper's hawk, although it is much smaller. Whereas the tail of the Cooper's hawk is well rounded, the tail of the sharp-shinned hawk is nearly square or slightly forked and the tip is not sharply defined, appearing dirty gray. Sharp-shinned hawks occur throughout most of North America, from Alaska and Canada south to the Gulf States.