Red-tailed Hawk

The Red-tailed Hawk is a robust, adaptable raptor with broad wings and a short, wide tail. Adults typically feature a rich reddish-brown upper tail and heavily streaked underparts, making them one of the most easily recognizable hawks in North America

White or pale cream background marked with distinct, dark brown horizontal bars and spots, showing characteristic reddish-brown tones near the tip

Mixed structure featuring a pennaceous upper vane with distinct barbs and a plumulaceous base with loose, downy barbs lacking strong hooklets

Soft and silky at the base with a slightly stiffer, smooth pennaceous tip, overall matte finish

Distinctive dark brown barring and spotting on a white or pale background, combined with soft contour feather texture and reddish-brown tonal hints

Open country, scrublands, deserts, urban areas, woodlands, and agricultural fields across North America

Widespread across North America, from Alaska and Canada down through the United States, Mexico, and Central America, with resident and migratory populations

Acts as an apex avian predator helping to regulate rodent and small mammal populations, serving as a key ecological indicator of healthy open habitats

Rough-legged Hawk and Ferruginous Hawk, which can be distinguished by specific leg feathering and different barring patterns on their contour feathers

Red-tailed Hawks have incredible eyesight, allowing them to spot a mouse from 100 feet in the air. Their iconic scream is frequently used in Hollywood films to represent any soaring eagle or hawk

Fair condition with some fraying and separation along the barbules on the right side of the vane, but overall structurally intact