Red-tailed Hawk (Eastern subspecies variant)

This feather belongs to an immature Red-tailed Hawk. While adults are famous for their namesake rufous tails, juveniles possess brown, banded tails and heavily banded flight feathers like this one. The Red-tailed Hawk is a bulky raptor with a 4-foot wingspan, often seen soaring in wide circles or still-hunting from roadside poles.

Pale grayish-brown base color with 7-9 distinct dark chocolate brown transverse bands (bars). The tip is solid dark brown. The undersurface is significantly paler (silvery-white) with less defined banding.

Pennaceous structure on the upper two-thirds for aerodynamic integrity; lower third transitions into soft, plumulaceous (downy) barbs for insulation. Barbs are tightly interlocked via barbicels.

The dorsal surface is matte and slightly stiff to the touch; the ventral surface is silky. The leading edge is smooth, lacking the 'fringe' found in owls.

Distinctive dark brown banding on a lighter grayish-tan background; broad, rounded shape; ivory rachis; and lack of 'velvet' texture found in nocturnal raptors.

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

Year-round resident across most of North America, from central Alaska and Canada southward to Panama and the West Indies.

Apex predator; serves as a vital control for rodent and rabbit populations. Their presence indicates a healthy, functioning food web.

Red-shouldered Hawk (smaller, darker/blacker bands), Cooper's Hawk (narrower, more tapered shape), and Great Horned Owl (softer texture with fringed edges).

The 'screech' of the Red-tailed Hawk is so iconic and piercing that it is almost always used in Hollywood movies to represent any eagle or hawk, regardless of the species actually shown on screen.

Good condition. There is minor terminal fraying at the tip and some separation of the barbs near the base (splits), likely due to natural wear or impact during the molt.