The Orange County Register Catch sight of a raptor wheeling over Orange County, even on the urban edge, and much of the time it will turn out to be a red-tailed hawk, a bird so common it doubles as a mascot for an Anaheim elementary school. And yet, the red-shoulder is far better adapted to surroundings altered by humans. The contradiction seems glaring. Red-tailed hawks fear people and avoid human dwellings. Red-shouldered hawks don't mind people and might even benefit from living near us.
Natural selection is the probable answer.
But red-shoulders also are far more choosy when it comes to nesting sites. They are confined to oaks and other streamside woodlands, and are not a migratory species, preferring to stay put when they find a spot they like. Red-tails, in spite of their distaste for us, are generalists, able to conquer a broad variety of habitats. They don't mind a bit sitting on light poles or other artificial perches. P.O. Box 11626, Santa Ana, CA 92711.