Harris's hawk is mostly dark brown, but with conspicuous chestnut shoulders and wing linings, and a white tail crossed with a broad black band. All hawks feed on living prey but tend to specialize partly based on size. Thus the smallest hawks feed primarily on insects, and the so-called bird hawks choose their feathered prey in accordance with their own relative size. Some hawks prefer cold-blooded animals, such as amphibians and reptiles. The majority feed principally on appropriately sized mammals, although they will take other prey opportunistically.
Most hawks build bulky nests of twigs, bark, and leaves high in trees.
The eggs are usually white or bluish-white, variably blotched and spotted with shades of brown. The young are covered with white down and are relatively helpless at hatching. They grow slowly and are dependent on their parents for food even after they have fledged. True hawks make up the genus Accipiter. The sharp-shinned hawk is classified as Accipiter striatus and Cooper's hawk as Accipiter cooperii.