Red-tailed hawks are one of the most common and widespread hawks in North America. They are large, stocky hawks that are easily identified by their broad, rounded wings and reddish-brown tails. Red-tailed hawks are best known for their ability to soar for hours while hunting for prey. Their populations are stable and they adapt well to living in proximity to humans in both rural and urban environments.
Physical Description
Red-tailed hawks are large birds of prey. They measure 18-26 inches in length, with wingspans of 48-60 inches. Females are larger than males. Adults weigh 2-3 pounds on average.
Red-tailed hawks get their common name from their distinctive reddish-brown tails. The tail often appears red from below when the hawk is flying or perched. The rest of their plumage can vary in color. In general, red-tailed hawks have dark brown upperparts and pale underparts with belly bands or streaks. Their heads are light with dark streaks.
Some regional color variations exist. In the western United States, red-tailed hawks are paler and lightly streaked. In the desert Southwest, they have light undersides and dark brown upperparts. In Florida, red-tailed hawks are darker blackish-brown above and below.
Juveniles have brown tails with narrow white bands. Their plumage is brown above and pale underneath with heavy streaks. As juveniles mature, their tails become more reddish. It takes about two years for red-tailed hawks to acquire their distinctive adult plumage.
Range and Habitat
Red-tailed hawks have an expansive range stretching across most of North America. They are found throughout the continental United States, Mexico, and Canada. While some red-tailed hawk populations migrate, others are year-round residents across their range.
These hawks occupy diverse habitats and terrain types. They thrive in open areas interspersed with trees or other high perches, including:
– Forest edges
– Farmland
– Parks
– Rangelands
– Deserts
Red-tailed hawks have adapted to live in proximity to humans. They often nest in trees along roadsides or fields. In recent decades, many red-tailed hawk populations have become urbanized. The hawks are now a common sight in cities and suburbs where they nest on building ledges and hunt in parks.
The adaptability and varied habitat use of red-tailed hawks help explain their widespread, stable populations across the continent. They are not considered threatened or endangered.
Hunting and Prey
Red-tailed hawks are best known for their skill at soaring. Their broad, rounded wings allow them to effortlessly ride thermals and updrafts high in the air as they scan below for prey.
During aerial patrols, red-tailed hawks can spot prey up to a half mile away on the ground. Once potential prey is sighted, the hawk will stop soaring, tuck in its wings, and dive steeply towards the target.
Red-tailed hawks are generalist predators and opportunistic hunters. Preferred prey includes small mammals like voles, mice, ground squirrels, rabbits, and rats. Birds such as pigeons and doves are also common red-tailed hawk prey. Snakes, lizards, amphibians, and large insects may also be eaten.
In urban and suburban habitats, red-tailed hawks often prey on tree squirrels and pigeons. They may even take advantage of outdoor pet food dishes put out by humans, consuming bird seed, meat scraps, and grain.
Hunting perches give red-tailed hawks an elevated vantage point from which to spot prey. They often return to favorite perches regularly. In cities, favored perch sites include tall buildings, light poles, cell towers, and trees. Once prey is captured in their talons, a hawk will carry it back to a nest or perch to eat.
Breeding and Nesting
Red-tailed hawks reach sexual maturity at two years of age. They are monogamous and typically mate for life, returning to breed in the same territory each year.
The breeding season lasts from March through July, depending on latitude. Courtship involves aerial displays over the nesting territory by breeding pairs.
Red-tailed hawk nests are large structures built with dead sticks, twigs, and branches. Nests are often lined with bark strips, corn stalks, feathers, or other soft materials. Pairs may reuse and expand the same nest over consecutive years.
Nest sites are typically very high up, from 30-90 feet above ground. Red-tailed hawks nest in large trees along woods edges, or on rocky outcrops. They readily adapt to man-made sites like electrical towers and tall buildings in urban areas.
Females lay between 1-5 eggs that are whitish in color with brown spots. The female does most of the incubating over a period of 28-35 days. Young red-tailed hawks (called eyasses) hatch in the order the eggs were laid.
The nestling period lasts about 6-7 weeks. For the first 2-3 weeks, the female broods the eyasses while the male brings food to the nest. After that, both parents deliver prey items to the nest and feed the young.
Fledglings leave the nest at 6-7 weeks but remain dependent on their parents for 4-10 more weeks as they learn to hunt. Juvenile red-tailed hawks reach independence in the fall around 16-17 weeks of age.
Communication
Red-tailed hawks employ a range of vocalizations for communication. Their most distinctive call is a loud, piercing descending scream that sounds like “kee-eeee-arr.” This far-carrying call is often given by red-tails in flight or perched, and communicates territoriality.
Other red-tailed hawk calls include a rapid “kak-kak-kak” or “tchup-tchup-tchup” given near nests, and a whistling “toeeo” vocalization among mates or adults and offspring. Begging eyasses give repetitive, raspy cries when demanding food at the nest.
In addition to vocalizations, red-tailed hawks display non-vocal communicative behaviors. Aggressive or territorial hawks may spread their wings and pump their tails up and down. Sky-dancing courtship displays involve acrobatic swoops and climbs. Perched red-tails often pump their tails slowly up and down, possibly to signal location to their mates.
Threats
Compared to other hawk species, red-tailed hawks have relatively low threats to population levels overall due to their adaptability. However, localized threats may impact some populations.
Habitat loss is the main threat, as red-tailed hawk numbers decrease in areas where open habitat is converted to intensive agriculture, development, or densely reforested land.
Red-tailed hawks face increased mortality from vehicle collisions in areas near roads or parking lots. Electrical lines and towers present a collision and electrocution hazard, especially to less experienced juveniles.
Pesticides may accumulate in prey and negatively affect hawks. Some are intentionally shot or trapped, especially near airports where they are considered a threat to aircraft. Nest sites can be disturbed by logging or human activity near suburban nests.
Despite these threats, most red-tailed hawk populations remain healthy and secure thanks to the hawk’s ability to thrive in diverse habitats and adapt to living near people. Their status as North America’s most common hawk seems likely to continue.
Interesting Facts
- The oldest known wild red-tailed hawk lived to be 29 years old.
- Their nests can weigh over 1 ton.
- Red-tailed hawks are monomorphic, meaning males and females have identical plumage. They are best distinguished by size, with females about 25% larger than males.
- These hawks often reuse the same nests for consecutive breeding seasons, simply relining the inside and adding material to the exterior each year.
- Red-tailed hawks occupied their current range of North America about 10,000 years ago after the last glacial period.
- Ornithologist Buteo jamaicensis formally described the red-tailed hawk species in 1760.
- Some Native American tribes consider red-tailed hawks sacred birds.
- They have appeared on postage stamps from the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and the United States.
- Writer John James Audubon is credited with first describing the red-tailed hawk’s scream call as “kee-eeee-arrr.”
Population and Conservation Status
Red-tailed hawks are listed as species of Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Partners in Flight estimates a breeding population of about 2 million red-tailed hawks in North America.
According to the 2017 State of North America’s Birds report, red-tailed hawk populations in the U.S. and Canada increased by 1.7% per year from 1966-2015. Breeding Bird Survey trend data shows red-tailed hawk numbers are increasing across most of the U.S. and Canada.
These data reflect the adaptability of red-tailed hawks to landscapes altered by humans. As forested land was converted to more open farmland and urban areas, red-tailed hawk habitats likely expanded starting in the 1800s.
While some local threats exist, red-tailed hawk populations appear secure overall. The species takes advantage of man-made sites for nesting and perching, abundant small mammal prey populations, and abundant sources of roadkill in urban areas.
As one of the most common raptors able to thrive near people, red-tailed hawks serve as a flagship species for raptor conservation in North America. They provide valuable ecosystem services by controlling rodent and other small pest populations. Further research and monitoring is needed to detect any population declines in specific regions.
Table Comparing Key Traits of Red-tailed Hawks and Red-shouldered Hawks
Trait | Red-tailed Hawk | Red-shouldered Hawk |
---|---|---|
Range | Across most of North America | Eastern and central North America |
Habitat | Open and semi-open areas near woods | Forests and wetlands |
Prey | Mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates | Small mammals, amphibians, reptiles, birds |
Nest Site | Large stick nests in tall trees or on cliffs/human structures | Smaller stick nests usually in trees |
Distinctive Field Marks | Broad, rounded wings; red tail | Bright red shoulder patches on wing visible in flight |
Conclusion
Red-tailed hawks are iconic raptors that hold a special place in North American ecosystems. These intelligent, adaptable hawks have thrived by using diverse habitats ranging from rural to urban areas. They are respected by humans for their beauty and prowess as aerial hunters.
While red-tailed hawk populations appear secure overall, localized threats require ongoing monitoring and conservation attention. Sustaining red-tailed hawk populations will depend on protecting open habitats and nest sites, reducing pesticide use, and mitigating hazards posed by roads, towers, and buildings.
The red-tailed hawk’s ability to coexist near people in cities reflects broader opportunities for fostering urban raptor populations. With proactive planning, education, and stewardship, these birds of prey can remain a common sight soaring overhead and filling the air with their wild screams.