Red-tailed Hawk (Red-tail)

A stout, soaring raptor with broad wings and a short, wide tail. Adults typically feature a brick-red tail contrasting with pale underparts, while juveniles are brown-streaked with banded tails. They are masterful soarers often seen perching on roadside poles or circling high overhead

Rich earthy brown background prominently mottled and barred with white, cream, and tawny spots, featuring a pale cream-colored rachis transitioning to brownish near the tip

Pennaceous at the upper distal tip with tightly interlocked barbules, transitioning to a plumulaceous (fluffy downy) structure at the proximal base with an afterfeather

Smooth and firm at the upper pennaceous vane with a matte finish, becoming exceptionally soft, silky, and loose-webbed toward the fluffy proximal base

Distinctive warm brown and white mottled patterning with alternating bars of rufous/brown and pale cream spots, characteristic of eastern or western morph Red-tailed Hawk body plumage

Incredibly adaptable, found in deserts, scrublands, urban areas, grasslands, agricultural fields, coniferous and deciduous forests, from sea level to mountainous elevations

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

Serves as an apex avian predator regulating small mammal populations such as voles, mice, and rabbits, acting as a crucial ecological indicator of healthy grassland and edge habitats

Swainson's Hawk, Ferruginous Hawk, and Rough-legged Hawk feathers can appear similar, but are distinguished by specific barring widths, coloration tones, and geographic distributions

The Red-tailed Hawk's iconic piercing scream is frequently used in Hollywood films to sound like any eagle or hawk, regardless of which bird is actually shown on screen

Good condition with minor natural wear along the edges and a small split in the vane, intact structure with clean barbs and no obvious parasitic damage