If you’ve just spotted a hawk, there’s a good chance it was a Red-Tailed. These stunning raptors are the most common hawk in North America. They often live year-round in the same area, though many migrate to the U.S. from Canada, or else move from the Northern U.S. to warmer Southern states in the winter.
Diet
These excellent hunters prey on a variety of rabbits, rodents, lizards, frogs, birds, large insects, and sometimes fish. Their preferred hunting method is to swoop down from a low perch. When diving from the air, they have been known to reach speeds of 120 mph.
Identification
There are several subspecies of the Red-Tailed Hawk whose colorings differ slightly, but in general, these hawks are identified by checking for a red tail, lighter underbelly, as well as red legs and a red cere. Juveniles are darker than adults, and females are often twenty-five percent larger than males. From far away, they can be recognized by their loud, wailing cry “kree-eee-ar,” which begins at a high pitch and ends low.
Breeding
Red-tailed hawks brood eggs once yearly, usually at the beginning of April, 1-5 eggs per clutch. Both parents tend the babies, though females do the majority of the work. The babies stay in the nest for 42-46 days. Like many birds, they typically mate for life. In the 1970s, widespread use of DDT on agricultural crops caused widespread thinning of the Red-Tailed Hawk’s eggshells and there was a subsequent decline in population.
Relationship to Humans
Red-Tailed Hawks are favorites of falconers because of their intelligence and fairly docile natures. But the most famous Red-Tailed Hawk in recent history by far is Pale Male –a young Red-Tailed who makes a nest (currently with his fourth mate, Lola) on the roof of a million-dollar penthouse overlooking Central Park in Manhattan. In 2003, the building's coop board decided to remove the nest, inciting a national uproar. The Audobon Society, NYC birdwatchers, and even Mary Tyler Moore, who lived in the building, protested vehemently and, eventually, the hawks were allowed to rebuild.
Quick Facts
- Family: Accipitridae
- Species: Buteo jamaicensis
- Average Size: 19-25 inch body,46-58 inch wingspan
- Habitat: Found throughout the U.S. in rural, agricultural, and urban areas, residing year-round or migrating to warmer states in the winter.
- Best Places to Spot a Red-Tailed Hawk: On low branches of forests, parks, and meadows
- Endangered, Threatened, or Protected?: Protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act
- May Be Mistaken For: Cooper’s Hawk, Broad-Winged Hawk, Red-Shouldered Hawk
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