Red-tailed Hawk (Buzzard)

The Red-tailed Hawk is a large, bulky raptor with broad, rounded wings and a short, wide tail. While adults typically have the namesake rufous tail, their wing feathers show complex brown, cream, and white mottling. They are often seen soaring in circles or perched on roadside poles.

Mottled brown and white. Features a dark brown distal portion with characteristic white 'windows' or splotches on the inner web, typical of juvenile or certain adult morphs

Pennaceous and tightly interlocked throughout most of the vane; plumulaceous (downy) at the base near the calamus for insulation

Smooth and stiff upper surface with a matte finish; the underside is paler and slightly more reflective

Broad width, rounded tip, and distinctive white mottling/banding on a dark brown background; thick light-colored rachis

Extremely versatile: found in open woodlands, agricultural fields, grasslands, desert scrub, and urban parks with tall trees or poles for perching

Breeds throughout most of North America from Alaska and Canada to Panama and the West Indies; northern populations migrate south in winter

Apex predator; primarily controls rodent and rabbit populations, also consumes reptiles and smaller birds

Red-shouldered Hawk (smaller, more distinct white barring), Ferruginous Hawk (typically paler or more rufous), or Rough-legged Hawk

The 'screech' used in Hollywood movies for almost every eagle or hawk is actually the recorded call of a Red-tailed Hawk

Good condition; minor fraying at the tip and edges suggests it was molted naturally. No significant fault bars visible