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(Many Paths)
An Online Newsletter Celebrating Native America
 
 
 
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Red-tailed Hawk
Buteo jamaicensis
 
 
by Cornell Lab of Ornithology

This is probably the most common hawk in North America. If you’ve got sharp eyes you’ll see several individuals on almost any long car ride, anywhere. Red-tailed Hawks soar above open fields, slowly turning circles on their broad, rounded wings. Other times you’ll see them atop telephone poles, eyes fixed on the ground to catch the movements of a vole or a rabbit, or simply waiting out cold weather before climbing a thermal updraft into the sky.

At a Glance

Habitat

Food
Nesting
Behavior
Conservation
Open Woodland
Small Animals
Tree
Soaring
Least Concern

Cool Facts

Measurements

    Male
        Length
            17.7–22 in
            45–56 cm
        Wingspan
            44.9–52.4 in
            114–133 cm
        Weight
            24.3–45.9 oz
            690–1300 g
    Female
        Length
            19.7–25.6 in
            50–65 cm
        Wingspan
            44.9–52.4 in
            114–133 cm
        Weight
            31.7–51.5 oz
            900–1460 g

Relative Size
The Red-tailed is the second-largest Buteo hawk in North America, after Ferruginous Hawk.

Other Names
    Buse à queue rousse (French)
    Aguililla parda (Spanish)

The Red-tailed Hawk has a thrilling, raspy scream that sounds exactly like a raptor should sound. At least, that’s what Hollywood directors seem to think. Whenever a hawk or eagle appears onscreen, no matter what species, the shrill cry on the soundtrack is almost always a Red-tailed Hawk.

Birds are amazingly adapted for life in the air. The Red-tailed Hawk is one of the largest birds you’ll see in North America, yet even the biggest females weigh in at only about 3 pounds. A similar-sized small dog might weigh 10 times that.

The "Harlan's Hawk" breeds in Alaska and northwestern Canada, and winters on the southern Great Plains. This very dark form of the Red-tailed Hawk has a marbled white, brown, and gray tail instead of a red one. It’s so distinctive that it was once considered a separate species, until ornithologists discovered many individuals that were intermediate between Harlan's and more typical Red-tailed Hawks.

Courting Red-tailed Hawks put on a display in which they soar in wide circles at a great height. The male dives steeply, then shoots up again at an angle nearly as steep. After several of these swoops he approaches the female from above, extends his legs, and touches her briefly. Sometimes, the pair grab onto one other, clasp talons, and plummet in spirals toward the ground before pulling away.

Red-tailed Hawks have been seen hunting as a pair, guarding opposite sides of the same tree to catch tree squirrels.

The oldest known Red-tailed Hawk was 28 years 10 months old.

Habitat
Open Woodland


Red-tailed Hawks occupy just about every type of open habitat on the continent. This includes desert, scrublands, grasslands, roadsides, fields and pastures, parks, broken woodland, and (in Mexico) tropical rainforest.



Food
Small Animals


Mammals make up the bulk of most Red-tailed Hawk meals. Frequent victims include voles, mice, wood rats, rabbits, snowshoe hares, jackrabbits, and ground squirrels. The hawks also eat birds, including pheasants, bobwhite, starlings, and blackbirds; as well as snakes and carrion. Individual prey items can weigh anywhere from less than an ounce to more than 5 pounds.


Nesting Facts
    Clutch Size
        1–5 eggs
    Number of Broods
        1 broods
    Egg Length
        2.2–2.7 in
        5.5–6.8 cm
    Egg Width
        1.7–2 in
        4.3–5 cm
    Incubation Period
        28–35 days
    Nestling Period
        42–46 days
    Egg Description
        White or buffy, blotched or         speckled with buff, brown, or         purple.

Condition at Hatching
    Tiny and helpless, unable to raise     head, and weighing about 2     ounces.


Nesting

Nest Description
Both members build the nest, or simply refurbish one of the nests they’ve used in previous years. Nests are tall piles of dry sticks up to 6.5 feet high and 3 feet across. The inner cup is lined with bark strips, fresh foliage, and dry vegetation. Construction takes 4-7 days.

Nest Placement
Tree


Red-tailed Hawks typically put their nests in the crowns of tall trees where they have a commanding view of the landscape. They may also nest on a cliff ledge or on artificial structures such as window ledges and billboard platforms.

 

 

Behavior
Soaring


Red-tailed Hawks are large, sharp-taloned birds that can be aggressive when defending nests or territories. They frequently chase off other hawks, eagles, and Great Horned Owls. Courting birds fly with legs hanging beneath them, or chase and swoop after each other, sometimes locking talons (see Cool Facts). Mated pairs typically stay together until one of the pair dies.

Conservation
Status

via IUCN
Least Concern

Common, with populations stable or increasing across North America.

 

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