The Most Common Bird of Prey in the United States
The most common bird of prey in the United States is the red-tailed hawk.
Red-tailed hawks are large, broad-winged hawks that can be found soaring over open fields and perched on telephone poles or tree branches watching for prey.
Their distinctive reddish-brown tail gives them their name and makes them easy to identify.
What do Red-Tailed Hawks look like?
Red-tailed hawks are stocky, medium-sized raptors with broad, rounded wings and short, fan-shaped tails. Adults have brownish upperparts and pale underparts with a streaked belly band.
The tail is reddish-brown above and pinkish below with a dark subterminal band.
These large hawks have a wingspan ranging from 45 to 60 inches. Females are significantly larger than males. The average red-tailed hawk is between 17 and 25 inches in length and weighs 2 to 4 pounds.
Red-tailed hawks have sturdy yellow legs and feet with long, slender talons used for catching and killing prey. Their hooked upper beak has a dark tip and pale base. Eyes are brown. Plumage varies from light to dark morphs.
Juveniles have brown upperparts like the adults but less distinct belly bands. Their tails lack the reddish coloration, being more brown and mottled until they mature.
Habitat and Range of the Red-Tailed Hawk
Red-tailed hawks are widely distributed across North America. Their breeding habitat includes a variety of open areas including farmlands, grasslands, meadows, grass prairies, sagebrush flats, deserts, and forest edges.
They occur from sea level up to 12,000 feet in elevation.
The red-tailed hawk has the widest distribution of any hawk species in North America. They can be found throughout the continental United States, central Alaska, central Canada, and northern Mexico.
As a year-round resident species, red-tailed hawks are non-migratory except for northern populations that may migrate south during winter. They nest in tall trees along woodland edges, often choosing a territory with open areas for hunting.
Diet and Hunting Habits
Red-tailed hawks are carnivores that hunt small to medium-sized mammals, birds, and reptiles. Typical prey includes rodents like mice, voles, rats, squirrels, and rabbits. They also take snakes, lizards, smaller birds, and the occasional amphibian.
These opportunistic hunters soar above open habitats watching the ground for movement.
Once prey is spotted, the hawk dives down to grab it in its talons. Red-tails sometimes hunt from an elevated perch.
Hunting peaks in early morning and late afternoon. In open country, hunting success rates average around 28%. Hunting success is lower in forested areas.
Prey is usually eaten while perched on an elevated spot. Red-tailed hawks rip apart prey with their beaks and feet. They swallow smaller meals whole.
Breeding and Nesting
The breeding season for red-tailed hawks runs from March through July. Courtship includes aerial displays with the male and female soaring in wide circles while calling.
Nests are built high up in large trees including pine, oak, cottonwood, spruce, and other species. Both sexes gather sticks and build the nest, lining it with bark, cornhusks, feathers, leaves, and other soft materials.
The female lays 1 to 5 eggs that are whitish in color with brown markings. She does most of the incubating while the male provides food. After 28 to 35 days, the eggs hatch over 2 to 4 days.
The young hawks fledge at 6 to 7 weeks, though they remain close to the nest and depend on the parents for food for several more weeks. Red-tailed hawks first breed when 2 to 3 years old.
Vocalizations
These hawks are very vocal, especially in spring during breeding season. Their common, raspy scream is frequently described as sounding like “kee-eeee-arrr.” Other calls include a rapid “kik-kik-kik” alarm call.
Young red-tails make loud begging calls when parents approach the nest with food. Adults may cluck while perched or make whistling or yelping sounds during aerial displays.
Threats and Conservation
Red-tailed hawk populations remain widespread and stable.
They are common to abundant over much of their range. Excessive human activity near nests can disrupt breeding, so avoiding disturbance around active nests helps local populations.
Pesticides and lead poisoning have caused some mortality. Habitat loss due to development reduces hunting areas. Vehicle collisions are another threat. But red-tailed hawks readily adapt to human activity and modified habitats.
These hawks are protected under the Migratory Bird Act. No global population estimates exist due to their wide distribution. Partners in Flight estimates a breeding population of roughly 1.5 million in the U.S. and 7 million globally.
Interesting Facts about red-tailed hawks
Young red-tails have yellow eyes that gradually take on the adult brown color over their first 2 years.
The red tail can fade and become less visible as feathers age and wear. The tail may appear more mottled brown but still shows some rufous hue.
Red-tails occasionally hybridize with other Buteo hawk species where their ranges overlap, such as with ferruginous hawks or harlan’s hawks.
These hawks were dubbed the “chickenhawk” for their reputation of preying on domestic fowl, though studies show poultry and game birds make up a very small percentage of their diet.
The red-tailed hawk was a sacred bird in some Native American tribes and remains an important wildlife emblem. It is the state raptor of New York and the mascot for numerous athletic teams.
When red-tailed hawks fly in a thermal updraft, they position their wings in a slight dihedral or V-shape. This helps stabilize them in windy conditions.
Northern populations of red-tails are sometimes referred to as abieticola, while western North American hawks are known as calurus. These may represent distinct subspecies.
These hawks have been trained for falconry for centuries. They are also popular birds in educational programs and wildlife rehabilitation due to being common and hardy.
The red-tailed hawk was featured on the 1987 quarter-dollar coin design as part of the U.S. Mint’s commemoration of the bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution.
When red-tailed hawks court, they may engage in spectacular diving displays where one bird dives and rolls as the other follows in synchronized motions.
Comparison to Similar Species
The most similar hawk species is the red-shouldered hawk.
But red-shouldered hawks have bold white and black-barred underwings and reddish barring on the underparts. Their nasal calls sound like “kee-ah, kee-ah.”
Ferruginous hawks are larger open country hawks with reddish-brown upperparts and clean white underparts with reddish legs. Swainson’s hawks are slimmer with longer pointed wings and small dark heads.
Northern harriers are the only other common hawk with a white rump patch like the red-tailed. But harriers have distinctive owl-like facial disks and fly with their wings held in a V-shape.
Cooper’s hawks and sharp-shinned hawks are smaller woodland accipiters with bluish-gray backs, reddish barring on the underparts, and larger heads in proportion to their bodies.
Broad-winged and short-tailed hawks have patterned brown underparts with darker wingtips in flight. Rough-legged hawks have dark wrists and larger dark bellies.
Where to View Red-Tailed Hawks
Red-tailed hawks are wide-ranging and common across North America. They can be found in rural open areas, grasslands, agricultural fields, pastures, deserts, suburbs, and even urban parks.
Good birding locations to spot red-tailed hawks include national wildlife refuges that provide expansive open habitat like Des Lacs in North Dakota or Crab Orchard in Illinois. State parks, like Palo Duro Canyon in Texas, also offer viewing opportunities.
Even city parks, like Forest Park in St. Louis or Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, host red-tails. Look for them perched on light poles, towers, or trees along woodland edges.
migration corridors see concentrations of migratory red-tails. Hawk watches at spots like Lake Chelan in Washington or Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Pennsylvania track thousands of red-tails every autumn.
The expansive open plains of the American west from Montana to New Mexico offer miles of prime red-tail habitat. Midwestern states also provide excellent viewing on prairies and farmland.
Conservation Status
The IUCN Red List categorizes the red-tailed hawk as Least Concern. Its extensive range covers over six and a half million square kilometers globally. The total world population is estimated at around 7 million mature individuals.
Partners in Flight estimates a breeding population of about 1.5 million red-tailed hawks in the U.S., with the total North American population at around 3 million. Numbers have increased over past decades.
These hawks adapt readily to human activity and modified habitats like farmlands.
As long as some suitable nesting trees and open hunting grounds remain, red-tailed hawks continue to thrive close to human settlements.
While still widespread and resilient, continued habitat loss and urbanization may reduce populations in localized areas.
Red-tails face threats from pesticides, lead poisoning, vehicle strikes, loss of nesting sites, and illegal persecution.
Various state and federal laws protect red-tailed hawks. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act makes it illegal to harm or harass red-tailed hawks, their nests, or eggs. Their future remains promising due to their ability to flourish in diverse habitats.
