Red-tailed Hawk

The Red-tailed Hawk is a stalwart of North American raptors, characterized by its broad wings and short, wide tail. Adults typically feature a brick-red tail, though juveniles like the source of this barred feather lack the red tail and instead show multiple narrow dark bands.

Rich earth-brown base with distinct dark brown transverse bars (bands) and characteristic white mottling or spotting along the inner web towards the base

Pennaceous structure with tightly interlocked barbs and barbicels along the main vane, becoming slightly plumulaceous near the base

Smooth and firm along the pennaceous vane, matte finish with sturdy rigidity suited for flight and wing protection

Distinctive dark brown banding across a warm brown background with characteristic white speckling near the base of the inner web

Adapts to a remarkably wide range of open habitats including deserts, scrublands, urban areas, agricultural fields, grasslands, and coniferous or deciduous woodlands

Widespread throughout North America, breeding from central Alaska and Canada down through the United States and Central America into the Caribbean

Acts as an apex avian predator helping to control populations of small mammals, rodents, and reptiles, serving as an important ecological indicator of environmental health

Cooper's Hawk or Broad-winged Hawk, distinguished by size and exact bar spacing and mottling patterns

Red-tailed Hawks have incredible eyesight, capable of spotting a mouse from a height of 100 feet, and their iconic, raspy scream is frequently used in Hollywood films to sound like any soaring eagle or hawk

Good condition, with intact barbs, clean rachis, and no visible major fraying or parasitic damage