Red-tailed Hawk (Chicken Hawk, Red-tail)

A robust, broad-winged soaring hawk with a signature rusty-red tail in adults, broad rounded wings, and a pale chest with a streaked belly band.

Rich brown and greyish-brown background with prominent, well-defined dark brown or blackish transverse bars and striking white to buff blocking along the inner web.

Strongly pennaceous with tightly interlocked barbs and barbicels creating a smooth, durable vane. No significant afterfeather present.

Stiff, smooth, and semi-glossy with a firm, durable texture optimized to withstand strong air currents during soaring flight.

Bold dark brown transverse banding combined with striking white patches on the inner web and a strong, robust rachis characteristic of large Buteo primaries.

Extremely adaptable, inhabiting deserts, scrublands, scrub desert, urban areas, agricultural fields, grasslands, deciduous and coniferous forests.

Widespread throughout North America, ranging from Alaska and northern Canada down through Central America and the Caribbean.

Acts as a top avian apex predator helping to regulate rodent and small mammal populations, serving as a key ecological indicator of open country health.

Swainson's Hawk, Ferruginous Hawk, and Rough-legged Hawk feathers can appear similar but differ in subtle barring patterns and geographic overlap.

Red-tailed Hawks have exceptional eyesight, capable of spotting a mouse from a height of 100 feet, and are frequently featured in falconry and Native American culture.

Good condition with intact barbs, minor natural wear at the tip, and clean shaft, indicating a normal seasonal molt.