Red-tailed Hawk

This is a classic 'red tail' feather from an adult Buteo jamaicensis. The bird is a large raptor with broad, rounded wings and a short, wide tail. Adults are characterized by the iconic brick-red upper tail that gives the species its name.

Rufous-red or cinnamon-brown on the dorsal surface with a distinct dark subterminal band near the tip. Pale whitish-pink on the ventral surface. Note the faint dark bars or spots along the rachis.

Pennaceous throughout most of the vane with tightly interlocked barbs; plumulaceous (downy) at the base for insulation.

Stiff and smooth vane with a slightly glossy finish on the dorsal side; the base is soft and fuzzy. Designed for aerodynamic durability.

Cinnamon-red base color, dark subterminal band near the tip, and heavy, stiff rachis typical of large soaring hawks.

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

Widespread throughout North America, from central Alaska and Canada south through Mexico and Central America. Northern populations are migratory.

Apex predator that controls rodent and rabbit populations. They are essential indicators of ecosystem health and habitat quality.

Ferruginous Hawk feathers (usually paler/whiter) and Red-shouldered Hawk feathers (more narrow with heavy black and white banding).

Red-tailed Hawks are famous in Hollywood; their piercing 'keee-eee-ar' scream is almost always used as the sound effect for any eagle or hawk shown on screen.

Good condition; slight fraying at the tip and along the edges suggests it was likely a naturally molted feather rather than one lost to predation.