Red-tailed Hawk (Buzzard)
Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Chordata, Class: Aves, Order: Accipitriformes, Family: Accipitridae, Genus: Buteo, Species: Buteo jamaicensis · Accipitridae (Hawks, Eagles, and Kites) · Primary flight feather (Remiges); likely an inner primary (P1-P4) due to the moderate asymmetry.
Species
Buteo jamaicensis
Feather Type
Primary flight feather (Remiges); likely an inner primary (P1-P4) due to the moderate asymmetry.
Family
Accipitridae (Hawks, Eagles, and Kites)
Shape
Highly asymmetrical with a narrower outer (leading) vane and a broader inner (trailing) vane. The tip is slightly tapered to a rounded point, displaying distinct emargination characteristic of soaring hawks.
Size
Estimated at 8–10 inches (20-25 cm) in length. This is consistent with the primary feathers of a medium-to-large Buteo species.
Rarity
Common; it is the most widespread and frequently seen hawk in North America.
Color & Pattern
Mottled brown and white. The distal (tip) portion is solid dark brown, transitioning into a white base with irregular brown barred or 'marbled' splotches along the vanes. This pale, mottled pattern is typical of immature plumage.
Barb Structure
Pennaceous throughout most of the vane with tightly interlocked barbs for flight efficiency; the base (superior umbilicus area) features plumulaceous (downy) barbs for insulation.
Texture & Surface
Smooth and stiff on the pennaceous vanes; slightly glossy on the dark pigmented areas; soft and downy at the proximal base near the calamus.
Description
This is a primary flight feather from a Red-tailed Hawk, most likely an immature individual given the lack of solid rufous coloring and the presence of heavy mottling. The bird itself is a large raptor with broad, rounded wings and a short, wide tail. Adults are famous for their namesake cinnamon-red tails, while juveniles possess brown-and-white barred tails.
Key Features
Heavy asymmetry of the vanes, creamy-white rachis, and the specific 'Buteo' mottled brown-on-white pattern which identifies it as a broad-winged soaring hawk.
Habitat
Extremely versatile: found in open grasslands, agricultural fields, broken woodlands, desert scrub, and increasingly in urban parks and highway corridors.
Geographic Range
Common year-round resident throughout most of North America, from central Alaska and Canada south through Mexico and Central America.
Condition Notes
Good condition; the barbs are mostly intact, though there is some minor 'zipper' separation on the trailing edge. The calamus is clean, suggesting a natural molt.
Interesting Facts
The piercing, rasping 'kree-eee-ar' scream of the Red-tailed Hawk is almost universally used in Hollywood movies to represent any eagle or hawk, regardless of the species actually on screen.
Ecological Role
Apex predator and key regulator of small mammal populations (voles, mice, rabbits). They are 'generalist' predators that adapt well to human-altered landscapes.
Similar Species
Red-shouldered Hawk (smaller, more distinct white/black barring), Ferruginous Hawk (usually whiter on the underside), or immature Bald Eagle (much larger with darker, more uniform coloration).