Learning Center » Predators » Red-Tailed Hawk

General Information
Hawks are carnivores (meat eaters) who belong to the category of birds known as raptors -- birds of prey. They have strong, hooked beaks; their feet have three toes pointed forward and one turned back; and their claws, or talons, are long, curved and very sharp. The hawk's vision is much better than humans. They can see spiders and beetles from afar. Hawks can see a mouse from a height of one mile.

Description
The adult has a rufous-colored tail that may or may not have a black terminal bar. Adults are dark brown on the back and the top of their wings. The Red-tail is the largest hawk, usually weighing between 2 and 4 pounds. As with most raptors, the female is nearly 1/3 larger than the male and may have a wing span of 56 inches. This species shows a great deal of individual variation in plumage. The underside of the bird is usually light with a dark belly band, and a cinnamon wash on the neck and chest. Immatures resemble the adults except their tail is brown with dark bars; the red-tail molts during its second year. While the tail may not always show clearly red, the adult Red-tailed Hawk is easily identified when flying by the black shoulder bars under the leading edge of the wings.

Range
The Red-tailed Hawk ranges throughout North America to the central Alaska and northern Canada, and south as far as the mountains of Panama. Although not truly migratory, they do adjust seasonally to areas of the most abundant prey. In winter many of the northern birds move south.

Method of Kill
The Red-tailed Hawk has extremely keen eyesight and can often be seen perching in a tree at the edge of a meadow, watching for the slightest movement in the grass below. Prey is killed with the long talons and, if it is too large to swallow whole, it is torn to bite-sized pieces with the hawks beak.