Red-tailed hawk
This adaptable bird is one of the largest birds of prey in North America and can commonly be seen along roadsides across the United States.
This adaptable bird is one of the largest birds of prey in North America and can commonly be seen along roadsides across the United States.
Red-tailed hawks are one of the largest birds of prey in North America.
They have broad, rounded wings and a short, wide tail.
Most are rich brown above and pale below, with a streaked belly and a dark bar between the shoulder and the wrist on the underside of the wing.
Coloration can vary widely. Some of this variation is regional and there are also several recognized morphs.
They are named for their brownish-red tail feathers. The eastern subspecies typically has a plain red tail with a neat black band near the tip.
Their wingspan ranges from about 44-52 inches (a little over a meter).
They weigh between 1½ to 3 pounds (690-1450 grams).
Females are usually larger than males.
Instead of a red tail, juveniles have narrow brown and white bars on their tail feathers.
Range – much of North America (throughout most of Canada and the contiguous United States and scattered throughout Central America and the West Indies)
Habitat – deserts, grasslands, woodlands, tropical rainforests, open fields, wetlands, coastal and urban areas (just about every type of open habitat except arctic areas)
Wild – small- to medium-sized mammals (especially rodents and rabbits), reptiles, birds (including other raptors), fish and even insects and fresh carrion
Hunting styles vary. They sometimes use a “sit-and-wait” strategy, and at other times they soar or hover high in the air to spot prey then grab it from a high-speed stoop. They have also been observed “pirating” – taking food from other species by harassing prey-carrying individuals until they drop or relinquish their catch.
Zoo – mice, chicks, quail, rabbit, rat, beef rib, chicken breast
Wild – 20+ years
Zoo – up to 30 years
Red-tailed hawks are monogamous and will remain with the same mate for many years. They typically only change mates when one member of a pair dies.
Their courtship ritual involves the male and female flying together in circles, calling back and forth to each other, diving and rolling in synchrony, then locking talons and falling together before splitting apart again.
In many areas, eggs are laid in mid-late March. In the tropics, eggs may be laid as early as December.
Each year, they may build a new nest or refurbish one from a previous year. Constructing a new nest takes 4-7 days.
Both members of the pair help build large nests out of sticks that can be up to six feet tall and three feet wide. They line the nest with pine needles, bark, fresh foliage, and other natural plant materials.
Preferred nest locations are in tall trees or on cliffs. In urban areas, they often take advantage of building ledges to build their nests on.
Clutch size is typically 2-3 but can be up to five eggs. The female incubates them for about one months (usually 28-35 days). During this time, the male brings food to feed her.
Eggs are about 2.2-2.7 inches long and 1.702 inches wide. They’re whitish in color and blotched or speckles with buff, brown, or purple.
Newly hatched chicks are covered in fluffy white down but grow quickly.
Chicks fledge around 42-46 days after hatching.
Parents must diligently protect hatchlings from crows and other birds of prey. They feed and protect chicks until they disperse around four to six months after hatching.
Young hawks begin breeding when they’re around two to three years told.
Red-tailed hawks are highly adaptable to anthropogenic changes to natural habitats. Unlike many other species, their populations have increased and they have extended their range over the last century.
Although populations are increasing, individuals remain at risk of collisions with cars, buildings, and wind turbines as well as electrocution on powerlines and lead poisoning. Hawks in urban areas are also at risk of secondary poisoning from rodenticides used to for rat control.
While many red-tailed hawks are resident, others migrate relatively short distances.
Migratory behavior is influenced by weather, particularly snow cover and food supply. Individuals in the northern portion of their range migrate south during the winter.
Red-tailed hawks compete with great horned owls for nest sites. Each species has been known to kill the young and destroy the eggs of their other while trying to take over a nest site.
The red-tailed hawk’s call is often used as a substitute for other raptors (especially the bald eagle) in movies and on TV.
There are up to 16 subspecies of red-tailed hawk, though some ornithologists consider at least one of these to be its own separate species.
In the United States, red-tailed hawks are often used in the sport of falconry.
Credit: Tayler Brooks, XC34863. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/34863.
American Bird Conservancy. (n.d.). Red-tailed hawk. Retrieved September 23, 2024 from https://abcbirds.org/bird/red-tailed-hawk/
Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (n.d.). Red-tailed hawk. Retrieved September 24, 2024 from https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-tailed_Hawk/overview
Preston, C.R. & Beane, R.D. (2020). Red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (A.F. Poole, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.rethaw.01
The Peregrine Fund. (n.d.). Red-tailed hawk. Retrieved September 24, 2024 from https://peregrinefund.org/explore-raptors-species/hawks/red-tailed-hawk
Zoo Atlanta Animal Care Team
Updated November 2024