Red-tailed Hawk (Red-tail)

The Red-tailed Hawk is a robust, adaptable raptor with broad wings and a short, wide tail. Adults typically display a bright rust-red tail, while juveniles have brown-banded tails. They are powerful soarers, often seen circling high in the sky or perched on roadside poles.

Muted grayish-brown background with prominent dark brown transverse bars and a distinct lighter subterminal or intermediate band. The rachis is off-white to pale horn-colored.

Tightly interlocked pennaceous structure with well-developed barbicels forming a strong, cohesive vane. Intact barbs with minor fraying along the lower edge.

Stiff, smooth, and matte texture with strong vane rigidity designed to withstand air resistance during flight.

Broad flight feather with distinct horizontal dark brown bands against a greyish-brown background and a sturdy, pale central rachis.

Inhabits a wide variety of open country, deserts, scrublands, urban areas, agricultural fields, and deciduous or coniferous forests.

Widespread across North America, from Alaska and Canada down through the United States, Mexico, and parts of Central America and the Caribbean.

Acts as an apex avian predator helping to control rodent and small mammal populations, serving as a key indicator of ecosystem health.

Rough-legged Hawk, Swainson's Hawk, and Ferruginous Hawk. Distinguished by specific banding width, background tone, and exact feather proportions.

Red-tailed hawks have exceptional vision, capable of spotting a mouse from over 100 feet in the air. Their iconic scream is frequently used in Hollywood films to sound like any eagle or hawk, regardless of whether a Red-tail is pictured.

Good condition with minor wear and slight fraying at the edges, typical of a naturally molted feather found in the field.