About Red Tailed Hawks - Group Dedicated To Them
The most common and widespread hawk in North America, the Red-tailed Hawk is a bird of open country. It is frequently seen sitting on utility poles where it watches for rodents in the grass along the roadside.
Cool Facts
The "Harlan's Hawk" was once considered a separate species. It breeds in Alaska and northwestern Canada, and winters on the southern Great Plains. This very dark form has a marbled white, brown, and gray tail instead of a red one. Many individuals intermediate between Harlan's and more typical Red-tailed Hawks can be found.
The raspy cry of the Red-tailed Hawk is used in movies to represent any eagle or hawk anywhere in the world.
In the courtship display a pair of Red-tailed Hawks soars in wide circles at a great height. The male dives down in a steep drop, then shoots up again at nearly as steep an angle. He repeats this maneuver several times, then approaches the female from above. He extends his legs and touches or grasps her briefly. The pair may grab onto one other and may interlock their talons and spiral toward the ground.
Description
topSize: 45-65 cm (18-26 in)
Wingspan: 114-133 cm (45-52 in)
Weight: 690-1460 g (24.36-51.54 ounces)
Large hawk.
Wings long and broad.
Tail broad and red.
Most commonly with pale chest and dark band across belly.
Extremely variable in appearance with light and dark forms.
Tail reddish on top, with dark band near end.
Tail lighter red below; unbanded.
Light forms: Head darkish brown. Throat dark or white. Chest white or with rusty streaks. Dark band of streaks across belly variable, from very dark to nearly absent. Dark patches at leading edge of wing, and dark trailing edge. Back dark brown with white mottling; white forming loose "V" on shoulders. May show pale eyestripe.
Dark form: Dark brown all over. May be rufous on chest. Tail red on top. In flight, front of wings dark, flight feathers pale, with dark trailing edge.
"Harlan's Hawk" is a dark form without red on tail.
Sex Differences
Sexes look alike; female larger.
Immature
Juvenile similar to adult, but more streaked, and has brown tail with several dark bars across it.
Similar Species
Red-shouldered Hawk has a banded tail and is more uniformly colored. Red tail separates dark form from all other hawks.
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