Red-tailed Hawk (Common Buzzard / Chicken Hawk)

The Red-tailed Hawk is a bird of prey that breeds throughout most of North America. It is one of the most common members of the genus Buteo in North America. They have broad wings and a short, wide tail that is typically brick red in adults. They soar in wide circles and perch conspicuously on roadside poles.

Rich brown upper vane with distinct dark brown or blackish barring, fading into a white to pale grey base with fluffy downy texture.

Pennaceous at the upper tip transitioning smoothly into a plumulaceous, fluffy base with loose barbs. Intact barbs with standard barbicels.

Smooth and firm on the upper pennaceous portion, soft and fluffy at the base.

Rich brown and white barred pattern on the pennaceous section combined with a distinctively fluffy, downy basal half.

Adapts to a wide range of habitats and elevations, including deserts, scrublands, urban areas, agricultural fields, grasslands, conifer and deciduous forests.

Widespread throughout North America, ranging from western Alaska and northern Canada down to Panama and the West Indies.

Acts as a primary apex avian predator helping to control populations of rodents, rabbits, and other small mammals, serving as a key indicator of ecosystem health.

Cooper's Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, and Swainson's Hawk feathers can appear similar, but lack the specific combination of broad barring and fluffy base typical of larger Buteo body feathers.

Red-tailed hawks have exceptional vision, estimated to be eight times sharper than human vision, allowing them to spot a mouse from 100 feet in the air.

Fair condition; the base shows some fraying and separation of the fluffy barbs, but the upper vane remains largely intact.