Eastern Red-Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
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One of our animal ambassadors is a beautiful raptor named Aredhel, an Eastern Red-Tailed Hawk. This Apex Predator has no natural predators as adults but eggs and fledglings are the prey of great horned owls, and crows.
The diurnal Eastern Red-Tailed Hawks are the most common hawks in North America although the name and coloration varies with locality. Eastern Red-Tailed Hawks are usually seen soaring in wide circles high over fields. They may face into the wind to hover, with their eyes fixed on the ground. The wing beats appear heavy when flapping. This hawk scans fields from a perch or while soaring and attacks prey in a slow, controlled dive with the legs outstretched The Eastern Red-Tailed Hawk has a thrilling, raspy scream and it is often used in movies when a hawk or eagle appears onscreen, no matter what species. Eastern Red-Tailed Hawks are popular in the sport of falconry. |
DESCRIPTION: Eastern Red-Tailed Hawks are large raptors with very broad, rounded wings, a hooked beak, and a short, wide tail.
The Eastern Red-Tailed Hawk is generally covered in brown feathers that vary from very dark brown to a light, reddish color on the upper side. The under side is typically pale or cream colored, with darker streaks on the belly and chest. The tail feathers are almost always a brownish red, giving this hawk its name. The coloration displayed by the hawk, which is light on bottom but dark on top, is a type of camouflage called countershading.
The Eastern Red-Tailed Hawk’s feet are bare of feathers and they are powerful and equipped with sharp talons, the undersides of the toes are padded.
They are from 1 ½ to 2 feet long with a wingspan of 4 feet and they weight 1 ½ to 3 ¼ pounds.
Eastern Red-Tailed Hawks have an upper and lower eyelid similar to humans, but they also have a third, clear eyelid that closes from the side. This third eyelid is called a nictitating membrane, and is used for the lubrication typically associated with blinking as well as for protection when hunting.
Eyesight is the primary sense for most raptors. Their eyes have several special adaptations like the ability to see ultraviolet light, and the muscles in the eyes are designed for rapid focus - they can alter the shape of both the lens and retina simultaneously, allowing hawks to shift focus.
Females are larger than males.
RANGE: Eastern Red-Tailed Hawks can be found throughout North and Central America, with individuals being found as far south as Panama and as far north as Alaska. The northernmost birds migrate south during the winter.
HABITAT: The Eastern Red-Tailed Hawk is a bird of open country. It is often perched on telephones poles, fence posts, or trees standing alone or along edges of fields.
DIET: Carnivore – hares, rabbits, squirrels, rodents, reptiles, other birds, and carrion
FAMILY LIFE: As monogamous birds, breeding pairs typically mate for life, and only change partners if one of them dies. They build large nests that are usually 2 to 3 feet across and built of dry sticks, with the inner cup lined with bark strips, fresh foliage, and dry vegetation. They are located near the top of tall trees or artificial structures or cliffs. They prefer to nest at least 70 feet above the ground.
Females lay an annual clutch of 1 to 5 eggs and incubation lasts about a month, with both adults incubating the eggs. The male spends less time incubating; however, he brings food to his mate. Once the eggs have hatched, adults will continue to add to the nest to provide a clean surface for their chicks. Eastern Red-Tailed Hawk chicks are totally dependent on their parents after hatching. For the first several weeks of their life, the mother both broods the chicks to keep them warm and tears their food into small pieces, while the father brings food to the nest. Chicks begin leaving the nest about 6 weeks after hatching, but the full fledging process typically continues for 4 to 10 more weeks.
LIFE SPAN: In the wild: 21 years; In human care: 30 years
STATUS: Least Concern
The Eastern Red-Tailed Hawk is generally covered in brown feathers that vary from very dark brown to a light, reddish color on the upper side. The under side is typically pale or cream colored, with darker streaks on the belly and chest. The tail feathers are almost always a brownish red, giving this hawk its name. The coloration displayed by the hawk, which is light on bottom but dark on top, is a type of camouflage called countershading.
The Eastern Red-Tailed Hawk’s feet are bare of feathers and they are powerful and equipped with sharp talons, the undersides of the toes are padded.
They are from 1 ½ to 2 feet long with a wingspan of 4 feet and they weight 1 ½ to 3 ¼ pounds.
Eastern Red-Tailed Hawks have an upper and lower eyelid similar to humans, but they also have a third, clear eyelid that closes from the side. This third eyelid is called a nictitating membrane, and is used for the lubrication typically associated with blinking as well as for protection when hunting.
Eyesight is the primary sense for most raptors. Their eyes have several special adaptations like the ability to see ultraviolet light, and the muscles in the eyes are designed for rapid focus - they can alter the shape of both the lens and retina simultaneously, allowing hawks to shift focus.
Females are larger than males.
RANGE: Eastern Red-Tailed Hawks can be found throughout North and Central America, with individuals being found as far south as Panama and as far north as Alaska. The northernmost birds migrate south during the winter.
HABITAT: The Eastern Red-Tailed Hawk is a bird of open country. It is often perched on telephones poles, fence posts, or trees standing alone or along edges of fields.
DIET: Carnivore – hares, rabbits, squirrels, rodents, reptiles, other birds, and carrion
FAMILY LIFE: As monogamous birds, breeding pairs typically mate for life, and only change partners if one of them dies. They build large nests that are usually 2 to 3 feet across and built of dry sticks, with the inner cup lined with bark strips, fresh foliage, and dry vegetation. They are located near the top of tall trees or artificial structures or cliffs. They prefer to nest at least 70 feet above the ground.
Females lay an annual clutch of 1 to 5 eggs and incubation lasts about a month, with both adults incubating the eggs. The male spends less time incubating; however, he brings food to his mate. Once the eggs have hatched, adults will continue to add to the nest to provide a clean surface for their chicks. Eastern Red-Tailed Hawk chicks are totally dependent on their parents after hatching. For the first several weeks of their life, the mother both broods the chicks to keep them warm and tears their food into small pieces, while the father brings food to the nest. Chicks begin leaving the nest about 6 weeks after hatching, but the full fledging process typically continues for 4 to 10 more weeks.
LIFE SPAN: In the wild: 21 years; In human care: 30 years
STATUS: Least Concern
