Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

On of the most common hawks in North America. Red-tailed Hawks soar above open fields, slowly turning circles on their broad, rounded wings. You may 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.

The Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) is a medium-sized bird of prey, one of three species colloquially known in the United States as the “chickenhawk,” though it rarely preys on chickens. It breeds throughout most of North America, from western Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies.

Size & Shape of the Red-tailed Hawk

Red-tailed Hawks are large hawks with typical Buteo proportions: very broad, rounded wings and a short, wide tail. Large females seen from a distance might fool you into thinking you’re seeing an eagle.

Red-tailed Hawks and Falconry

Because they are so common and easily trained as capable hunters, the majority of hawks captured for falconry in the United States are Red-tails. Falconers are permitted to take only hawks in their first year. Adults, which may be bred, are not permitted to be taken for falconry. Falconers prefer to train first year hawks, which have not been locked into uncooperative adult behaviors.

Color Pattern of the Red-tailed Hawk

Most Red-tailed Hawks are rich brown above and pale below, with a streaked belly and, on the wing underside, a dark bar between shoulder and wrist. The tail is usually pale below and cinnamon-red above, though in young birds it’s brown and banded. “Dark-phase” birds are all chocolate-brown with a warm red tail. “Rufous-phase” birds are reddish-brown on the chest with a dark belly.

Red-tailed Hawk Vocalization

The Red-tailed Hawk has a thrilling, raspy scream that Hollywood uses on soundtracks to represent eagles, no matter what species, when they appear onscreen; the shrill cry is almost always a Red-tailed Hawk.

Cornell Lab of Onithology
Wikipedia

MORE Red-Tailed Hawks, Pale Male & NYC Wildlife

Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) SPECIES SPOTLIGHT

Pale Male: Celebrity Red-Tailed Hawk of NYC