Red Tailed Hawk
Rodney male Red Tailed Hawk
MEASUREMENTS: The Red-tailed Hawk has a body length of 17 -22 inches, a wingspan of 3 1/2 - 4 1/2 feet, and weighs 1 1/2 - 3 1/4 pounds.HABITAT: Red-tailed Hawks are found in North America and scattered through Central America and the West Indies. They inhabit open fields and deserts that are interspersed with woods or bluffs, urban areas, mountain forests, and tropical rainforests. Northern birds migrate south during the winter.
DIET: Small to medium-sized mammals, primarily mice, ground squirrels, and jackrabbits, birds, and reptiles are eaten by this hawk. Red-tailed Hawks hunt by swooping down from an elevated perch to seize their prey, snatching birds while flying, or pursuing prey from low level flight. They will also take food from other species. This is called pirating.
REPRODUCTION: This hawk’s stick nest may be found in tall trees, on cliffs, in cactus, or on man-made structures. The female hawk lays 1 - 5 eggs that are incubated for 28 - 35 days. The young hawks fledge about 42 days later and are sexually mature at 2 years of age.
NAME DERIVATION: The scientific name comes from the Latin word buteo, meaning a kind of falcon or hawk, and the Latinized name for Jamaica, West Indies, where the first specimen was collected for study. The common name stems from the fact that most adult Red-tailed Hawks have a brick-red colored tail. This hawk has been called Buzzard, Buzzard Hawk, Hen Hawk, Mouse Hawk, and Red Hawk.
INTERESTING FACTS
DIET: Small to medium-sized mammals, primarily mice, ground squirrels, and jackrabbits, birds, and reptiles are eaten by this hawk. Red-tailed Hawks hunt by swooping down from an elevated perch to seize their prey, snatching birds while flying, or pursuing prey from low level flight. They will also take food from other species. This is called pirating.
REPRODUCTION: This hawk’s stick nest may be found in tall trees, on cliffs, in cactus, or on man-made structures. The female hawk lays 1 - 5 eggs that are incubated for 28 - 35 days. The young hawks fledge about 42 days later and are sexually mature at 2 years of age.
NAME DERIVATION: The scientific name comes from the Latin word buteo, meaning a kind of falcon or hawk, and the Latinized name for Jamaica, West Indies, where the first specimen was collected for study. The common name stems from the fact that most adult Red-tailed Hawks have a brick-red colored tail. This hawk has been called Buzzard, Buzzard Hawk, Hen Hawk, Mouse Hawk, and Red Hawk.
INTERESTING FACTS
- The Red-tailed Hawk is one of the most widely distributed hawks in North America. There are 14 subspecies of this hawk ranging in color from the pale Krider's morph to the red Rufus morph to the dark Harlan's morph. Not every subspecies shows the distinctive red tail.
- Most medium to large-sized birds of prey tend to have long bonds with their mate and will use the same hunting and nesting territory year after year. These birds may have different nests in their territory and will rotate their use from year to year