Buteo jamaicensis
Copyright, Jim Roetzel
Red-tailed Hawks are most
often seen soaring high above the ground, looking for food.
They are very difficult to identify unless they come closer
to the earth. This raptor
grows up to 25 inches long and can weigh up to four pounds
(heavy for a bird; remember, they have hollow bones!). Its
wingspan can reach four feet. Red-tailed Hawks are
large, stocky birds. They are brown with a white breast and
a rust-colored tail. If you can get close enough, the tail
is the best way to identify them. Young Red-tailed Hawks are
more dull in color, have more streaks, and are missing the
red in their tails. Red-tailed Hawks live in
forests near open country. Nests are usually built near the
edge of a stream, lake, or field. Copyright,
DesertUSA.COM This hawk soars very high
in the sky, hunting for food. They have excellent eyesight
which is much sharper than a human's. A Red-tailed Hawk can
spot a mouse from a height of 100 feet. These hawks also hunt
from perches, usually alongside a field. Most of their prey
are small mammals,
including: mice, voles, shrews, moles, squirrels, chipmunks,
rats, rabbits, opossums, muskrats, cats, skunks, and
bats.
Copyright 2004, George W. Hartwell
Although they eat mostly
mammals, there is a great variety of other animals
Red-tailed Hawks will prey upon, including: snakes, turtles,
frogs, lizards, salamanders, toads, ducks, bobwhite, crows,
woodpeckers, starlings, doves, Red-winged Blackbirds,
kingfishers, robins, owls, other birds, crayfish,
centipedes, spiders, grasshoppers, crickets, beetles,
earthworms, and fish. Red-tailed Hawks will
also eat roadkill and other carrion
(previously dead, but fairly fresh animals). Copyright, Illinois
Raptor Center
B. Lundrigan
Red-tailed Hawks mate in
the Spring. They perform a sort of courtship
"dance" where the male and female dive and roll in the sky.
They will even lock talons (sharp toes) and fall together
awhile before splitting apart. Both the male and female
build the nest. They usually choose a very tall tree, such
as an oak or pine, or a rock ledge. Nests are built with
sticks and lined with twigs,
bark shreds, pine needles,
and green plant material. The female hawk lays two or three
white eggs with brown spots. While the female warms
the eggs (for up to a month), the male hunts and feeds
her.
Copyright, Illinois
Raptor Center Copyright, Illinois
Raptor Center Copyright, Illinois
Raptor Center Young hawks stay in the
nest for approximately one and a half months. Once they leave the nest,
the youngsters hop around a lot on the ground, looking for
small prey
such as insects and spiders. When they have perfected
flying, they will begin to hunt larger prey from the
air. Predators of Red-tailed
Hawks include Raccoons, Great Horned Owls, and Red Fox.
Red-tailed Hawks can live up to 15 years in the
wild.
