Red-Tailed Hawk

Order: Falconiformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus and Species: Buteo jamaicensis

The Red Tailed Hawk is a large bird most easily distinguished by its broad, reddish upper tail. Fun Facts: The raspy cry of the Red-tailed Hawk is used in movies to represent any eagle or hawk anywhere in the world.

Listen to the sounds of the Red-Tailed Hawk from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (opens in a new window).

Range: The most common and widespread hawk in North America, the Red-tailed Hawk is a bird of open country. Summer Range - Breeds from Alaska to Labrador, southward to Mexico and the Caribbean, down to Panama. Winter Range - Winters from southern Canada southward.

Reproduction: Nests consist of a large bowl of sticks in a tall tree or on a cliff ledge. Clutch size is between 1-5 eggs.

Diet: Small and medium-sized mammals, birds, reptiles. Red-Tailed Hawks are frequently seen sitting on utility poles where they can watch for rodents in the grass along the roadside.

Conservation status: Increasing across most of range. It has expanded its range in the last century, displacing other hawk species as a consequence.

Rescue & Rehabilitation: Adult Red-Tailed Hawks have strong talons and should never be approached or handled by anyone other than trained professionals. If you find a sick or injured hawk contact animal control or FLWC. If possible, watch the animal while waiting for help to arrive. If you can tell rescue workers the exact location of the animal it will help immenesly.

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