The red-tailed hawk is a large bird of prey found throughout most of North America. Known for its distinctive reddish-brown tail, this hawk is a common sight soaring over open country. One of the red-tailed hawk’s most familiar vocalizations is its loud, piercing scream that has become a Hollywood sound effect representing eagles or other large birds of prey. This high-pitched, two-note scream is often translated as “kee-eeee-arrrr” and is used by red-tails for communication and territorial advertisement.
Description of the Red-Tailed Hawk’s Song Call
The red-tailed hawk’s song call consists of two parts: a high, keening squeal followed by a raspy croak or scream. The first high-pitched note lasts about 2 seconds and is produced as the hawk exhales. This is immediately followed by the lower-pitched second note that is 1-2 seconds long. The full call lasts for 3-4 seconds total. It often sounds like “kee-eeee-arrrr” to human ears.
This distinctive call can be heard at any time of day, but is often most common in the morning as the hawks leave their roosts and advertise their territory. The call carries for long distances and is often exchanged between neighboring red-tails. It is one of the hawk’s most common vocalizations along with a rapid series of barks or kaks given frequently during the breeding season.
Purpose and Meaning of the Call
The red-tailed hawk’s screaming song call serves several important purposes:
Territory Defense
One of the main reasons red-tails vocalize with their signature song call is to defend their breeding territories. By screaming out kee-eeee-arrrr calls, red-tailed hawks are essentially communicating “This is my territory!” The loud, far-reaching calls warn rival hawks to stay away. Continuous calling throughout the breeding season aids in deterring intruders.
Communicating with Mates
In addition to proclaiming territory ownership, the red-tail’s scream call also helps males and females locate one another and communicate over distance. Mated pairs will call back and forth to signal their location or rejoin one another after a period of separation. The far-reaching song call allows red-tails to reconnect over considerable distances.
Alarm Call
The red-tailed hawk’s scream call can also function as an alarm call, signaling danger or alerting others in the area to an intruder or predator. Both adults and juveniles will emit alarm calls to signify potential threats. This helps alert and protect their mate, offspring, or other red-tails in the area.
Showing Off
During courtship and the breeding season, male red-tailed hawks will frequently vocalize with their signature call as a means of showing off their strength and viability as a mate. The frequent screaming calls advertise a male hawk’s fitness and territory ownership to impress females.
When and Why Red-Tailed Hawks Vocalize
Red-tailed hawks vocalize with their famous scream call year-round but especially during the breeding season from late winter through mid-summer. Here are some of the key times and reasons red-tails are most likely to call:
Early Morning
One of the most common times to hear the red-tail scream call is early morning when the hawks leave their night roosts. Morning calls serve to announce a hawk’s presence on territory and reconnect mates after a night apart. This sets territorial boundaries from the very start of the day.
Defending Nest Sites
As a breeding pair builds a nest and lays eggs in spring, the frequency of scream calls increases around the nest site. Both male and female red-tails will scream to defend their territory against intruders that may threaten eggs or young.
Feeding Time
Another peak calling time is during the provisioning of young. Adults will call excitedly when returning to the nest with food, signaling their arrival to hungry nestlings. Begging young may also emit loud cries signaling their hunger to the parents.
Alarm Calls
Red-tailed hawks will emit alarm calls any time of day when disturbed by potential predators like eagles, ravens, or great horned owls. These warning screams alert others of danger and signal the predator that it’s been detected.
Reestablishing Territories
In late summer and early fall when the young fledge and breeding season ends, hawk pairs vocalize often to reestablish territories after the chaos of nesting season. Frequent scream calls renew boundaries in preparation for winter.
Identifying the Red-Tailed Hawk Call in the Wild
Telling a red-tailed hawk scream call apart from other raptors takes some practice. Here are tips for proper identification:
Call Duration
– The red-tail’s call lasts just a few seconds from start to finish. Longer screaming calls likely belong to other raptors.
Number of Notes
– The classic red-tail song has just two notes. Calls with more notes could be a different species.
Pitch
– Listen for the very high-pitched kee followed by the lower, raspy errrr.
View the Bird
– Try to spot the calling bird and view key field marks like broad, rounded wings and a reddish tail. This confirms ID.
Behavior
– Note behavior like defending a nest site or advertising from an elevated, open perch which matches red-tail habits.
With practice, the red-tailed hawk’s unmistakable scream call becomes easily recognizable from other raptors and becomes a familiar sound of the American wilderness.
Variations in the Red-Tail Scream Call
While the classic version is a two-note scream, the red-tailed hawk has some variability in its song call:
One-Note Scream
Sometimes a one-note scream is heard without the second raspy note. This may be a truncated version of the full call.
Three-Note Scream
Occasionally three notes are heard with an additional kee note added after the raspy errr sound. This third note gets fainter and trails off.
Harsher Quality
Some red-tails have a raspier or hoarser quality to their scream compared to others. Individual birds have unique voices.
Higher/Lower Pitches
The exact pitch of each note can vary slightly with some calls being relatively higher or lower pitched. Pitch may relate to a hawk’s age and sex.
Fast Series
During intense alarm calling, red-tails may rapidly repeat their scream every few seconds, sounding almost machine-gun-like to human ears.
So while subtle variations exist, the fundamental two-note kee-errr structure of the call remains consistent across red-tailed hawks.
How Red-Tails Produce Their Song Call
Red-tailed hawks don’t have vocal cords like humans. So how do they produce such a loud, far-reaching call? Here’s the mechanism behind the scream:
Syrinx
Instead of a larynx, birds have a specialized vocal organ called a syrinx located at the junction of the trachea and bronchi. The syrinx contains vibratory membranes that the hawk forces air across to produce sound.
Air Blast
Hawks create their scream call by pushing air from their lungs past the syrinx in a forced blast. This rapid expulsion of air causes the syrinx membranes to vibrate and generate sound.
Two Parts
The red-tail’s two-part call is produced by aerodynamic events in the upper and lower parts of the syrinx. The high-pitched kee comes from the upper syrinx and the errrr from the lower portion.
Resonance
The hawk’s scapulae (shoulder blades), keel, and sternum help resonate and amplify the scream to be so loud and far-carrying. The beak may also manipulate sound.
Air Sacs
Red-tails have 9 air sacs connected to their lungs and hollow bones that may allow for greater resonance and projection of the call over distance.
Ventriloquism
By moving its head and beak as it calls, the hawk can manipulate the projection of the sound in ventriloquist-like fashion.
This complex anatomy allows red-tailed hawks to produce their legendary scream call that has become a characteristic North American wilderness sound.
Answering Common Questions About the Red-Tail Call
Many first-time observers have questions about the red-tailed hawk’s unmistakable scream call. Here are answers to some of the most frequent queries:
Which sex calls more – males or females?
Males call more often than females. Calling frequently advertises a male’s fitness and proclaims territory ownership. However, female red-tails will also scream to communicate with mates and defend the nest.
Is the red-tail the only hawk that makes this sound?
No, while very distinctive, other hawks like Cooper’s, Ferruginous, Harlan’s and Prairie Falcons can also make somewhat similar screaming calls on occasion. But no other has quite the same signature two-note kee-errrr scream of the red-tail.
Why do the hawks call so much in spring?
Frequent calling ramps up in spring as breeding activity gets underway. Scream calls help attract mates, bond pairs, and defend nesting territories from rival hawks looking to move in.
Do red-tail calls have regional dialects?
No research has definitively proven regional dialects, though some observers claim subtle geographic variations may exist. The call structure remains fundamentally similar across different red-tails.
Can I identify red-tails at night by their call?
Great horned owls often emit a similar scream call, so positive ID by call alone is difficult after dark. Listening for the two-note structure helps separate red-tails from single-note owl calls.
Why do red-tail calls seem more common in winter?
Red-tails maintain territories year-round so they call regularly in all seasons. However, deciduous tree cover makes the calls much easier to hear and carry further in winter. The hawks are just easier to detect when vegetation is reduced.
Mimicking and Recording the Red-Tail Scream
Many people are fascinated by the red-tailed hawk scream and make efforts to mimic it in the field as a way to elicit responses or study hawk behavior. Here are some tips for mimicking red-tail calls:
Use a Hawk or Game Call
Specialty game calls designed with reed or tube mechanisms allow birders to mimic red-tail screams quite accurately. Practice using game calls made specifically for red-tailed hawk sounds.
Whistle
With practice, some people can whistle a close approximation of the red-tail scream. Pucker your lips and blow hard, starting with a very high-pitched note and sliding down into the raspy errrr second note.
Voice Mimicry
Saying or yelling “kee-eeeee-arrrr” can produce a version recognizable to red-tailed hawks, especially when yelled loudly and projected over a distance.
Recordings
Many apps like Audubon and Merlin Bird ID allow you to play recorded red-tail screams that can elicit responses from real hawks. Only use these recordings for brief educational purposes to avoid excess harassment of the birds.
Field Etiquette
When mimicking hawk calls, be careful not to overdo it and stress birds during sensitive periods like nesting. Avoid drawing too much attention to actual nest sites.
Cultural Connections to the Red-Tail Call
The red-tailed hawk’s scream is so iconic that it has permeated American culture and media in many ways:
Hollywood Sound Effects
The hawk’s scream is one of the most common sound effects used in movies and TV shows to represent eagles, hawks and other large birds. It is used extensively in Westerns, adventures films, and cartoons.
Native American Lore
Some Native American tribes believed the red-tail call represented ominous warnings or signals of danger. The Blackfoot people called the red-tail the “bird of prophecy.”
Company Logos
Various companies like A&W Root Beer, the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles, and the University of Northern Iowa have used red-tail screams in their logos and promotional imagery.
Sports Team Mascots
Sports teams like the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Hurricanes hype up their crowds by playing recordings of the hawk scream over loud speakers in their stadiums.
Advertisements
The red-tailed hawk scream is commonly used in radio and TV commercials to grab people’s attention or signify wilderness adventure themes. Jeep, Harley-Davidson, and outdoor brands favor this hawk call.
Popular Culture
References to the red-tail call appear widely in movies, music lyrics, video games, comics, and literature as a symbol of strength, speed, and wilderness freedom.
So the evocative scream of the red-tailed hawk has clearly left a lasting impact on American culture through its use across media, sports, advertising, and more. The call is engrained in our perceptions of wilderness and continues to inspire artists to this day.
Conclusion
The red-tailed hawk’s piercing, two-note scream call has served as a characteristic sound of North American wilderness for ages. This signature song call consists of a high kee followed by a raspy errrr scream that proclaims territory and communicates between mates. Red-tails vocalize most often during breeding season and in defense of nest sites but may scream year-round. While individual variation exists, the fundamental structure of the kee-errrr classic red-tail scream remains consistent across the species. This iconic call has left a lasting impact on American culture through widespread use in film, television, advertising, and more as a symbol of fierce wilderness freedom. So next time you hear that familiar “kee-eeee-arrrr” sound ringing over the landscape, look up to glimpse North America’s most recognizable raptor.