Red-tailed Hawk

This is a secondary wing feather from a Red-tailed Hawk. These birds are large raptors with broad, rounded wings and short, wide tails. Adults usually have the namesake brick-red tail, but their wing feathers often retain this bold, dark-and-light banding pattern.

Distinctive bold horizontal banding (barring). Dark chocolate brown to blackish bars alternate with creamy white to light buff spaces. The tip is dark with a thin white terminal edge. This pattern is characteristic of juvenile and some adult morphs.

Pennaceous and tightly interlocked throughout most of the vane for aerodynamic efficiency; plumulaceous (downy) at the very base near the calamus for insulation.

Smooth, stiff, and somewhat matte. The surface is designed to be wind-resistant and durable for high-altitude soaring.

Bold, dark brown horizontal barring; broad, rounded profile; white rachis at the base; large size consistent with Buteo hawks.

Extremely versatile, found in open grasslands, agricultural fields, broken woodlands, deserts, and even urban parks with tall trees for nesting.

Widespread across North America, from central Alaska and Canada south through Mexico and Central America to the West Indies.

Apex predator; they play a vital role in controlling rodent and lagomorph (rabbit) populations. They are also highly adaptable to human-altered landscapes.

Red-shouldered Hawk (smaller, narrower bands), Cooper's Hawk (straighter shape, different barring density), and Rough-legged Hawk (specific base coloration differences).

The 'screech' used in Hollywood movies for almost every eagle or hawk is actually the recorded call of a Red-tailed Hawk. They are also known for 'kiting,' or staying stationary in the air while facing into a strong wind.

Good condition. The edges show minor wear (fraying) consistent with a naturally molted feather rather than one lost to predation. Some dirt or 'bloom' is visible on the vane.