Chicken-hawk, Harlan’s hawk
The Red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) is a bird of prey that breeds throughout most of North America. It is one of the most common members within the genus of Buteo in North America or worldwide. The Red-tailed hawk is one of three species colloquially known in the United States as the "chickenhawk", though it rarely preys on standard-sized chickens. Because they are so common and easily trained as capable hunters, in the United States these birds are the most commonly captured hawks for falconry. Falconers are permitted to take only passage hawks (which have left the nest, are on their own, but are less than a year old) so as to not affect the breeding population.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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Soaring birdsSoaring birds can maintain flight without wing flapping, using rising air currents. Many gliding birds are able to "lock" their extended wings by m...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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TerritorialA territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
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OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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Ambush predatorAmbush predators are carnivorous animals that capture or trap prey by stealth, luring, or by (typically instinctive) strategies utilizing an elemen...
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MonogamyMonogamy is a form of relationship in which both the male and the female has only one partner. This pair may cohabitate in an area or territory for...
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Generally solitaryGenerally solitary animals are those animals that spend their time separately but will gather at foraging areas or sleep in the same location or sh...
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Partial MigrantPartial migration is when within a migratory species or even within a single population, some individuals migrate while others do not.
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starts withRed-tailed hawks, especially those in the West, have a very variable plumage, including reddish brown and dark phases. Their wings are long and broad and their tails are short and wide. Most have light-colored breasts with dark streaks making a mottled "belly band". Most of them have dark brown heads. Their underwings are mottled light and dark. They all have a dark band on the outside edge of the inner underwings, called the "patagial" markings. On most adults, the upper side of their tail is deep rufous. Lighter birds often feature a faint white "V" as part of their back feathers, as seen when they are perching. Juveniles don't have a red tail.
Red-tailed hawk is one of the most common hawks in North America. They are found all over the continent, as well as in Central America, and in the Caribbean. Many birds remain in their areas all year, but birds in the far north migrate during autumn to avoid the harsh winter. These hawks occupy a vast range of habitats within a wide range of altitudes, including scrub deserts, montane grasslands, plains, agricultural fields, pastures, patchy deciduous and coniferous woodlands, coastal regions, urban parks, and tropical rainforests.
Red-tailed hawks are diurnal. They will soar above their territory, usually on clear days, keeping a lookout for intruders. They are mostly solitary but are social during the breeding season and migration. These hawks prefer to form their nests in wooded fence rows at the edge of forests, or in large trees within open areas. Pairs will stay together for years within the same territory. They are very territorial, defending territories that range from 0.85 to 3.9 square kilometers, based on the availability of food, perches, and sites for nests. The female is more aggressive than the male around the nest, while the male is more aggressive with regard to the territory boundaries.
Red-tailed hawks are carnivores, their diet varying with the location and the season. They eat small mammals including voles, rats, ground squirrels and rabbits, birds, and reptiles, especially snakes, bats, frogs, toads, and insects. They may feed on carrion.
Red-tailed hawks are monogamous and stay with the same partner for many years. They soar together in circles during courtship, their flights lasting 10 minutes and more. Mating usually occurs following these flights. Breeding and nest building starts in early spring, usually in March, continuing through May. Usually, 1-5 eggs are laid. Incubation lasts 28-32 days, carried out almost exclusively by the female. The male supplies most of the food for the mother and the chicks during the nestling stage. The chicks can leave the nest in 42 to 46 days. At 10 weeks they fledge and learn to hunt and fly. They become reproductively mature and start to breed at 3 years of age.
While fairly numerous in North America, these hawks, like all wildlife, are threatened by hunters, loss of habitat, pollution, and cars. Red-tailed hawks control populations of rodents and grasshoppers and have protection under the U.S. Migratory Bird Act.
According to AllAboutBirds, the estimated global breeding population is 2.3 million. 75% spend part of each year in the U.S., 21% in Mexico, and 24% in Canada. The ICUN classifies the Red-tailed hawk as "Least Concern", with an increasing population trend.
Red-tailed hawks have an important part to play in local ecosystems by controlling populations of small mammals, such as rodents and rabbits. They benefit farmers by eating moles, mice, and other rodents that threaten crops. They also provide habitat for several small bird species, such as house sparrows that live alongside hawks in their nests.
