Red-Tailed Hawk

Red-Tailed Hawk

(Buteo jamaicensis)

  • Size: 18-26" long // 3.4-4.8' wingspan
  • Diet: voles, mice, wood rats, rabbits, snowshoe hares, jackrabbits, and ground squirrels
  • Seasonal Habits: Migrate in winter
  • Temperament: Aggressive when you near their nest

This is probably the most common hawk in North America. If you've got sharp eyes you'll see several individuals on almost any long car ride, anywhere. Red-tailed Hawks soar above open fields, slowly turning circles on their broad, rounded wings. Other times you'll see them atop telephone poles, eyes fixed on the ground to catch the movements of a vole or a rabbit, or simply waiting out cold weather before climbing a thermal updraft into the sky.