Red-shouldered Hawk

Description:

Adults have brownish heads, reddish chests, and pale bellies with reddish bars. Their tails, which are quite long by Buteo standards, are marked with narrow white bars. Red "shoulders" are visible when the birds are perched. These hawks' upper parts are dark with pale spots and they have long yellow legs.

Habitat:

The breeding habitats of the Red-shouldered Hawk are deciduous and mixed wooded areas, often near water. Its breeding range spans eastern North America and along the coast of California and northern to northeastern-central Mexico. Red-shouldered Hawks are permanent residents throughout most of their range, though northern birds do migrate, mostly to central Mexico.

Notes:

Spotted this hawk on a telephone pole in a brushy area between a church and neighborhood. These are terrible pictures, I know - but the only ones I managed to get before it flew off. Thanks for the help with the ID RobBielawski !