Bird of the Week: Red-tailed Hawk

Photo courtesy of Brian Sullivan

Species: Red-tailed Hawk, Buteo jamaicensis

Family: Accipitridae

Sign: Libra

Favorite hobby: Outrageous courtship displays

Dear reader,

Chances are if you hear a squadron of crows defensively cawing, or a group of them diving pointedly, they are attacking a red-tailed hawk that has ventured too close to their young for comfort. Red-tailed hawks are the most ubiquitous hawk in the U.S., residing year-round in the entirety of the country save the northernmost reaches, where they only breed. Red-tails are large birds, some of the largest in the States, with long wings equipped for soaring. Despite this, even the largest of the species weigh about three pounds at most. Comparatively, a dog could weigh as much as ten times a red-tailed hawk of a similar size. Red-tails have broad red tails (I know, shocker!) and white underwings with darker wingtips, a brown belly band, and a white throat stripe. When perched, their heads and wings are brown and their red tail is more visible. Perhaps the most distinctive feature of the red-tailed hawk is their raspy call, one that has become quite famous through the years as it has been used instead of the bald eagles’ less-impressive screech when the bird appears on screen. They usually call while soaring, screaming what sounds like kee-eeeee-arr for two to three seconds. 

Red-tailed hawks are brilliantly adaptable; they occupy almost every type of open habitat on the continent. They are great hunters and eat mostly mammals, which can include squirrels, rabbits, mice, voles, and other small rodents. They will also occasionally eat birds as well, like starlings and blackbirds, which are both easy to spot for their sizable flocks. Red-tails are soaring hunters, and remain in the air until they spot something on the ground and swoop down claws-first. They usually build their nests on the crowns of trees, cliffs, or tall man-made structures. Red-tailed hawks are quick to defend their territories from other large carnivores like great horned owls, eagles, and other hawks. 

Red-tails have quite an interesting courting display, which seems to be shared among other raptors as well. Courting males fly up high in the air and soar in wide circles, then dive steeply before shooting up again at just as steep an angle. After a few of these displays, the male flies at the female from above, stretches out his legs, and grazes her briefly. Occasionally, the pair will grab onto each other by the talons and fall in spirals before pulling away pre-impact. I recently saw a photograph of a bald eagle pair doing the same thing. Such drama! They are quite the performers all around and love to pose elegantly on telephone poles. On my way back from a trip to Northern California, I counted a total of 50 on telephone poles and soaring above farm fields during the drive.