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

The Red-tailed Hawk is a powerful, robust raptor with broad wings and a short, wide tail. Adults typically feature a distinctive rust-red tail, pale mottled breast, and a dark band across the belly.

Rich earth-brown and cream or whitish background featuring pronounced dark brown transverse banding across the vane, with a robust pale-to-dark rachis.

Pennaceous vane in the upper portion with tightly interlocked barbicels, transitioning to a semiplume or downy base near the calamus.

Stiff and smooth along the pennaceous vane for aerodynamic efficiency, with a soft, fluffy plumulaceous tuft at the very base.

Distinct alternating dark brown and white/cream horizontal bars across a broad, rounded feather vane with a sturdy central shaft.

Open country, woodlands, deserts, urban areas, agricultural fields, and along major roadways.

Widespread throughout North America, ranging from Alaska and Canada down through the United States, Mexico, and into parts of Central America and the Caribbean.

Acts as an apex avian predator helping to regulate rodent and small mammal populations, serving as a key ecological indicator of healthy open habitats.

Swainson's Hawk, Ferruginous Hawk, and Broad-winged Hawk, distinguished primarily by specific bar width, coloration nuances, and exact dimensions.

Red-tailed Hawks have incredible eyesight capable of spotting a mouse from 100 feet in the air, and their piercing scream is frequently used in Hollywood films to represent any soaring eagle or hawk.

Good condition with minor wear along the trailing edge and some fluffing at the base, indicating a naturally molted feather.