Red-tailed Hawk (Red-tail)

The Red-tailed Hawk is a powerful, heavy-set raptor with broad, rounded wings and a short, wide tail. Adults typically feature a rich brown back and pale underparts with a streaked belly band, accompanied by their signature rusty-red tail. They are masters of thermal soaring, often seen perched on roadside poles or wheeling gracefully in wide circles high above open country.

Distinctive alternating dark brown and grayish-white/buff bands across the vane, with a pale whitish leading edge and a robust off-white rachis

Tightly interlocked pennaceous structure along the upper vane, transitioning to a loose, plumulaceous (fluffy) downy structure near the base

Smooth, firm, and stiff along the pennaceous vane for aerodynamic efficiency, becoming soft and fluffy at the base

Distinctive horizontal brown and white/buff barring across a broad, rounded vane, paired with a stout white rachis characteristic of a large buteo hawk

Adapts to a wide range of habitats including deserts, scrublands, urban areas, agricultural fields, grasslands, deciduous and coniferous forests

Widespread across North America, from Alaska and Canada down through the United States, Mexico, and parts of Central America and the Caribbean

As apex avian predators, Red-tailed Hawks play a vital role in regulating rodent and small mammal populations, acting as key indicators of healthy terrestrial ecosystems

Other large buteos such as the Swainson's Hawk or Ferruginous Hawk, as well as immature Bald Eagles, but differing in precise band width and coloration

Red-tailed Hawks have incredible vision, estimated to be about eight times sharper than a human's, allowing them to spot a mouse from 100 feet in the air. Their iconic piercing scream is frequently used in Hollywood movies to sound like any eagle or hawk, regardless of the bird shown on screen.

Good condition with intact barbs and minimal fraying, showing clean edges and normal wear consistent with a naturally molted feather