That’s definitely not a sharp-shinned hawk. Looks like a buteo of some sort but I’m not the best at hawk ID. Maybe a red-tail. They can have so many different color morphs I am never sure though.
Sharp-shinned hawk is much smaller and has different coloration.
Is it not a red-tailed hawk? They are extremely common across North America.
Look at the 5th picture in the carousel here:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Sharp-shinned_Hawk/id
It sure looks like one to me. We have one staking out our bird feeder in the backyard, and we’re pretty upset about that.
Some of the red tailed hawks look similar too. I guess that I just don’t know!
Whoops, I replied to the wrong comment, although that’s part of the same chain. You can see it here.
Look at the size and body proportions. Very different species. Coloration varies quite a bit as you can see but sharp-shins are small and fragile looking since they’re built for agility. Larger hawks are a lot bulkier.
About 75% it’s a red-tailed hawk, and if not, another species in genus Buteo. They generally don’t eat small songbirds like the one pictured.
