Red-tailed Hawk (Buzzard)

A classic raptor feather from a large hawk with a 4-foot wingspan, known for its reddish tail and dark 'patagial' marks on the inner wings

Base color is off-white to creamy buff with bold, dark brown transverse banding; terminal band is broad and dark

Densely packed pennaceous barbs for aerodynamic integrity; plumulaceous (downy) structure at the base of the calamus

Relatively stiff and smooth vane; dorsal surface has a slight matte sheen; trailing edge is softer than the leading edge

Wide, even banding (barring); rounded tip; broad vane width relative to length; creamy-white underside contrast

Extremely versatile: open country, woodlands, prairies, mountainous regions, and increasingly common in urban parks

Common throughout North America, from central Alaska and Canada south to Panama and the West Indies

Apex predator primarily controlling rodent and rabbit populations; crucial for maintaining balanced small-mammal ecosystems

Red-shouldered Hawk feathers (smaller, darker, more contrast), Cooper's Hawk (more tapered), Great Horned Owl (softer, fringed edges)

The 'screech' often heard in Hollywood movies for any eagle or hawk is actually the recorded call of a Red-tailed Hawk

Good to Excellent; minor fraying at the tip suggests a naturally molted feather; no significant fault bars or parasitic damage