Red-tailed Hawk (Eastern plumage variant)

This is a classic adult tail feather from a Red-tailed Hawk. The bird itself is a bulky raptor with a 4-foot wingspan, known for its chocolate-brown back and iconic brick-red tail. During flight, they soar in wide circles with a raspy, screaming 'kee-ee-arr' call often used in movies to represent eagles

Distinctive rufous-red dorsal surface with a thin, dark subterminal band visible near the tip. The ventral side is typically paler/pinkish. This solid red color is diagnostic of an adult

Mostly pennaceous with interlocking barbicels for flight stability, becoming plumulaceous (downy) at the very base; showing significant wear and separation (fraying)

Matte and stiff. The surface is smooth for aerodynamic efficiency but currently appears dry and weathered due to the feather being an old molt

Solid rufous color without heavy barring (typical of adults), stiff rachis, and asymmetrical vane structure

Highly adaptable; found in open woodlands, agricultural fields, plains, and increasingly in urban parks and highway corridors

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

Top-tier predator that controls rodent and rabbit populations. They are essential for maintaining balance in open-country ecosystems

Ferruginous Hawk (typically lacks the solid red and has whitish bases) or juvenile Red-tailed Hawks (which have brown-banded tails rather than solid red)

Red-tailed Hawks can spot a mouse from 100 feet in the air. Their characteristic scream is so iconic that sound editors almost always dub it over shots of Bald Eagles, which actually have a much wimpier, chirping call

Fair to Poor. The feather shows heavy 'weathering' with split barbs and significant fraying along the trailing edge, suggesting it was molted after a full season of use