Buteo jamaicensis
The Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) is one of North America's most widespread and recognizable raptors, known for its soaring flight and characteristic rusty-red tail. Averaging 18-26 inches (45-66 cm) in length with a wingspan of 45-56 inches (114-143 cm) and weighing 1.5-3.5 pounds (690-1600 g), its size often depends on subspecies and geography. Distinctive field marks include the brick-red tail of adults (though immatures have banded tails), a dark patagial bar on the underside of the...
Red-tailed Hawks are highly adaptable generalists, inhabiting open woodlands, forest edges, grasslands, deserts, agricultural fields, and even urban parks, from sea level to over 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) in mountainous regions. They require tall trees or structures for nesting and perching, wit...
Their diet primarily consists of small to medium-sized mammals, such as rodents, rabbits, and squirrels, supplemented by birds, reptiles, and occasionally insects. They are opportunistic predators, hunting from a high perch or while soaring.
Red-tailed Hawks are diurnal hunters, primarily active during daylight hours, often seen soaring high on thermals or perched conspicuously on poles, trees, or cliffs, from which they survey their hunting grounds. Roosting typically occurs in tall, secluded trees. Their foraging strategy involves ...
The Red-tailed Hawk boasts one of the largest breeding ranges of any North American raptor, extending across almost all of Canada, Alaska, the continental United States, and down through Mexico and Central America into the Caribbean. Northern populations are migratory, moving south for winter int...
Least Concern
- The Red-tailed Hawk's scream is so iconic in Hollywood that it is often dubbed into films for other raptors, including bald eagles. - They possess incredibly sharp vision, estimated to be 2 to 8 times better than a human's, allowing them to spot a mouse from 100 feet in the air. - Despite their...