A western red-tailed hawk (<i>Buteo jamaicensis calurus</i>), a subspecies of red-tailed hawk, photographed at Los Angeles Zoo in California
A western red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis calurus), a subspecies of red-tailed hawk, photographed at Los Angeles Zoo in California
Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark

Red-Tailed Hawk

Common Name:
Red-Tailed Hawk
Scientific Name:
Buteo jamaicensis
Type:
Birds
Diet:
Carnivore
Average Life Span In The Wild:
21 years
Size:
Body: 18 to 26 inches; wingspan: 38 to 43 inches
Weight:
24.3 to 51.5 ounces
IUCN Red List Status:
Least concern
Current Population Trend:
Increasing

These beautiful birds are North America's most common hawks. They are found all over the continent, in Central America, and in the West Indies. The first of these hawks to be scientifically studied was found in Jamaica.

Characteristics and Behavior

Red-tailed hawks are known for their brick-colored tails, but there are more than a dozen subspecies of various colorations, and not all of them have this characteristic.

These birds of prey are also known as buzzard hawks and red hawks. By any name, they are keen-eyed and efficient hunters. Red-tails prefer open areas, such as fields or deserts, with high perching places nearby from which they can watch for prey. But these birds are adaptable and also dwell in mountains and tropical rain forests. Hawks have even embraced human habitats. They often perch on telephone poles and take advantage of the open spaces along the roadside to spot and seize mice, ground squirrels, rabbits, reptiles, or other prey.

Aerial Dives and Breeding

Breeding season initiates a spectacular sequence of aerial acrobatics. Hawk pairs fly in large circles and gain great height before the male plunges into a deep dive and subsequent steep climb back to circling height. Later, the birds grab hold of one another with their talons and fall spiraling towards earth.

Red-tailed hawks are monogamous and may mate for life. They make stick nests high above the ground, in which the female lays one to five eggs each year. Both sexes incubate the eggs for four to five weeks, and feed the young from the time they hatch until they leave the nest about six weeks later.

This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our photo community on Instagram. Follow us on Instagram at @natgeoyourshot or visit us at natgeo.com/yourshot for the latest submissions and news about the community.
This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our photo community on Instagram. Follow us on Instagram at @natgeoyourshot or visit us at natgeo.com/yourshot for the latest submissions and news about the community.
Photograph by Lkm Iqbal Sohel, National Geographic Your Shot

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