Red-tailed Hawk (Buzzard, Chicken Hawk)

The Red-tailed Hawk is a powerful and robust raptor with broad, rounded wings and a short, wide tail that typically turns a brick-red color in adults. They are master soarers, frequently spotted circling high over open fields or perched on roadside telephone poles scanning the ground for small mammals.

Rich dark brown tones transitioning into a lighter, warm buff or cream edge with distinct dark brown barring and speckling near the tip. The dorsal surface features earthy browns, while the ventral side is slightly paler.

Tightly interlocked pennaceous structure with strong barbicels forming a waterproof, cohesive vane. Intact and healthy condition with no noticeable fraying.

Smooth, stiff, and semi-glossy texture designed for aerodynamic efficiency and water resistance. Rigid along the leading edge with a flexible trailing edge.

Distinctive combination of dark brown upper vanes with warm buff-toned barring, a robust whitish-cream rachis, and a broad, rounded tip typical of Buteo flight feathers.

Extremely adaptable, inhabiting deserts, scrublands, grassland, agricultural fields, urban areas, deciduous and coniferous forests from sea level to timberline.

Widespread across North America, ranging from western Alaska and northern Canada down through all of the United States, Mexico, and into Central America and the Caribbean.

As apex avian predators, Red-tailed Hawks play a vital role in regulating rodent and small mammal populations, helping to maintain balance within local ecosystems.

Swainson's Hawk, Ferruginous Hawk, and Rough-legged Hawk. Distinguishing features include the specific bar spacing, rachis color, and exact tone of the brown-and-buff patterning.

Red-tailed Hawks have phenomenal eyesight, capable of spotting a mouse from a distance of 100 feet in the air. Their iconic piercing scream is frequently used in Hollywood films to represent any eagle or hawk soaring through the sky, regardless of the species shown.

Good to Excellent condition. The vane is intact with minimal wear, clean barbs, and no significant sun bleaching or structural damage.