Red-tailed Hawk (Buzzard)

This is a quintessential adult Red-tailed Hawk tail feather. The bird itself is a large raptor with broad, rounded wings and a short, wide tail. Adults are characterized by that iconic cinnamon-red tail, while juveniles have brown, banded tails.

Distinctive rufous (brick-red) upper surface with a thin, dark subterminal band near the tip. The underside is a paler, pinkish-white.

Densely pennaceous throughout most of the vane for structural integrity; plumulaceous (downy) at the very base (calamus area).

Smooth, stiff, and notably matte. The surface is designed for durability during flight and rudder-like steering.

Solid rufous/orange-red coloration and a single dark subterminal band near the tip; broad, sturdy vane structure.

Extremely versatile: found in open woodlands, agricultural fields, grasslands, desert scrub, and increasingly in urban and suburban parks.

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

Apex predator primarily of small mammals (voles, mice, rabbits); helps regulate rodent populations and serves as an indicator of ecosystem health.

Ferruginous Hawk tail feathers are lighter and lack the subterminal band. Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk feathers are brown with multiple dark bars.

The 'scream' of the Red-tailed Hawk is so iconic and 'wild' sounding that it is almost always used in Hollywood movies to represent the sound of any eagle or hawk, including the Bald Eagle.

Good condition; the vane appears intact with minimal fraying, though it is currently being used as a decorative element in a craft arrangement.