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

The Red-tailed Hawk is a powerful, robust raptor with broad, rounded wings and a short, wide tail that typically shows a brick-red color in adults. They are master soarers, frequently spotted circling high over fields or perching prominently on roadside poles

Rich rufous-brown tips with distinct dark triangular or teardrop-shaped spots, transitioning to a clean white and pale grey base with a sturdy white rachis

Pennaceous at the tip with tightly interlocked barbs and functional barbicels, transitioning to plumulaceous (fluffy, downy) structure at the base

Smooth, slightly glossy appearance at the tip with a soft, plumulaceous base; rigid enough to maintain shape while retaining flexibility

Diagnostic rich rufous/cinnamon coloration combined with dark spotting near the rounded apex and a clean white base

Open country, deserts, scrublands, urban areas, deciduous and coniferous forests, agricultural fields, and roadside habitats

Widely distributed throughout North America, ranging from Alaska and northern Canada down through Central America and the Caribbean

Acts as an apex avian predator helping to regulate rodent and small mammal populations, serving as an important ecological indicator of environmental health

Swainson's Hawk and Ferruginous Hawk, which can be distinguished by different patterning, size, and regional distribution

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

Good condition with intact barbs and a strong rachis, showing minimal wear or fading