The 10-year migration count trends for the Swainson’s Hawk suggest stable populations across North America as 50% of 14 total sites observed stable counts during this span. Increasing counts were observed at 35.7% of sites, and decreased observations were seen at 14.3% of sites. Regionally, populations are mostly stable or increasing (see pie charts and trend maps below). The 20-year count trends (not shown) also reflect a stable population with some increases in the West Region (Gulf Region: 5 stable; West Region: 3 stable, 1 increase).

Most Swainson’s Hawks winter south of the United States and are rarely detected on winter surveys such as the Christmas Bird Count (CBC). The small number of hawks detected on CBC surveys indicate stable 10-year abundance trends, with declines observed in Washington between 2009-2022 . The Swainson’s Hawk is listed as a Species of Least Concern by the IUCN Red List and has no federal status under the United States Endangered Species Act, but it is listed as a Species of Special Concern in Utah, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington, and as Threatened in California. Evidence suggests that their populations have been reduced by as much as 90% from its pre-colonial numbers in this region. Swainson’s Hawks winter primarily in fields of Argentina and may be recently experiencing a loss of habitat in wintering and in stopovers. They are also documented to be increasingly subject to shooting during migration through Andes. Swainson’s Hawks commonly breed in areas of intense agriculture but require access to trees for nesting and roosting. They are especially vulnerable to habitat loss due to urbanization and land development, and can be impacted by environmental contaminants such as agrochemical compounds and pesticides.