Birds · Accipitriformes · Accipitridae

Red-tailed Hawk

Buteo jamaicensis

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The red-tailed hawk is the most abundant and most visible raptor in North America: it perches on posts and lamp posts along the motorways and soars over any open ground. Adults have a characteristic brick-red tail. It is extraordinarily variable in plumage and has adapted to almost every environment on the continent, from the desert to city parks.

Weight

690 g – 1.6 kg

Size

45 cm – 65 cm

Lifespan

25 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

In pairs

Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Temperate forestDesertGrasslandCarnivore Diurnal In pairs Bird Temperate forest Desert Grassland

21countries 103parks43same family

Fun facts

GeneralIts scream is the one the cinema dubs over the cry of almost any bird of prey, eagles included.
Its scream is the sound of the bald eagle in films: the Hollywood studios decided that the bald eagle's real call, a weak, high-pitched chirp, was not imposing enough, and ever since they have dubbed eagles with this hawk's cry.
A bird called Pale Male nested for more than two decades on the ledge of a building on Fifth Avenue in New York, opposite Central Park, and became a local celebrity.
It perches in plain view on motorway posts and lamp posts because the verge, with its strip of grass and its rodents, works as an unbroken hunting corridor.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Grassland, open woodland, deserts, motorways and city edges throughout North America
Sexual maturity: 2 years
Gestation / incubation: 31 days
Litter / clutch size: 3

Sources consulted: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ | https://animaldiversity.org/ | https://es.wikipedia.org/