Editing Sharp-shinned hawk (section)

==Description==
{{more citations needed section|date=April 2016}}
This is a small ''[[Accipiter]]'' hawk, with males {{convert|23|to|30|cm|in|abbr=on}} long, with a wingspan of {{convert|42|to|58|cm|in|abbr=on}} and weight from {{convert|82|-|115|g|oz|abbr=on}}. As common in ''Accipiter'' hawks, females are distinctly larger in size, averaging some 30% longer, and with a weight advantage of more than 50% being common. The female measures {{convert|29|to|37|cm|in|abbr=on}} in length, has a wingspan of {{convert|58|to|68|cm|in|abbr=on}} and weighs {{convert|150|to|219|g|oz|abbr=on}}. The wings measure {{convert|14.1|-|22.9|cm|in|abbr=on}} each, the tail is {{convert|12|-|19|cm|in|abbr=on}} long and the tarsus is {{convert|4.5|-|5.9|cm|in|abbr=on}}. Measurements given here are for the northern group, but they are comparable for the remaining subspecies.<ref>''Raptors of the World'' by Ferguson-Lees, Christie, Franklin, Mead, and Burton. Houghton Mifflin (2001), {{ISBN|0-618-12762-3}}</ref> Adults have short broad wings and a medium-length tail banded in blackish and gray with the tip varying among individuals from slightly notched<ref>{{cite book|author1=Chandler S. Robbins|author2=Bertel Bruun|author3=Herbert S. Zim|others=Illustrations by Arthur Singer|pages=70–71|year=1983|edition=Revised|publisher=Golden Press|title=Birds of North America: A Guide to Field Identification|isbn=0-307-37002-X}}</ref> through square to slightly rounded (often narrowly tipped white). The [[remiges]] (typically only visible in flight) are whitish barred blackish. The legs are long and very slender (hence the common name) and yellow. The hooked bill is black and the [[cere]] is yellowish. The remaining plumage varies depending on group:

* Nominate group: Cap dark and upperparts blue-grey (the former darker). Often, a few more-or-less random white spots can be seen on the scapulars (feathers attached to the wing that cover the meeting of wing and body). Underparts white with rufous or [[Tawny (color)|tawny]] bars. The crissum (the undertail [[Covert feather|coverts]] surrounding the [[cloaca]]) is white. Thighs rufous, but often barred white. The cheeks are tinged rufous (sometimes faint, but generally very distinct in taxa from the Greater Antilles). The [[Iris (anatomy)|irides]] are dark orange to red, but these are yellowish to pale orange in [[Juvenile (organism)|juveniles]]. Juveniles have dark brownish upperparts, each feather edged rufous, giving a rather scaly appearance. The brown head is streaked whitish, and the whitish underparts are extensively streaked brown or reddish and usually with reddish barring on the sides.
[[File:Accipiter striatus Juvenile.jpg|right|thumb|A juvenile sharp-shinned hawk in [[Parrish, Florida]].]]
[[File:Sharp-shinned Hawk, Fort Collins, CO.jpg|thumb|Sharp-shinned Hawk, Fort Collins, Colorado]]

* ''A. (s.) chionogaster'' (white-breasted hawk): Resembles the members of the nominate group, but upperparts darker (often appears almost black), thighs whitish-buff and underparts and cheeks entirely white. Juveniles have darker upperparts and distinctly finer streaking below than juveniles of the nominate group.
* ''A. (s.) ventralis'' (plain-breasted hawk): [[Polymorphism (biology)|Polymorphic]]. The most common morph has dark grey upperparts (often appears almost black) and white underparts variably barred, shaded, or mottled with rufous or tawny-[[Buff (colour)|buff]] (extensively marked individuals may appear almost entirely rufous or tawny-buff below). Occasionally, the barring to the lower belly and flanks may appear duskier. The white morph has bluish-grey upperparts (similar to the nominate group), but its underparts are all white except for its rufous thighs. The rare dark morph, the only morph which sometimes lacks rufous thighs, is entirely sooty (occasionally with slight white barring to belly and faint grey bands in tail). The underparts of the females average paler than males of the same morph. The iris is typically yellow (''contra'' illustrations in some books), but individuals (mainly sub-adults?) with a darker iris are occasionally seen. Juveniles have dark brownish or dusky upperparts with each feather typically edged rufous, giving a rather scaly appearance. The underparts are white streaked brown, and the thighs are rufous barred white. Occasionally, juveniles with underparts extensively rufous streaked blackish are seen.
* ''A. (s.) erythronemius'' (rufous-thighed hawk): Resembles the nominate group, but upperparts darker, streaking to underparts rufous or dusky, cheeks typically with a clear rufous patch (occasionally lacking almost entirely) and iris yellow (''contra'' illustrations in some books). Juveniles resemble juveniles of the nominate group, but streaking to underparts typically restricted to throat and central underparts, with flanks scaled or barred (often also belly).