Red-tailed Hawk (also known as the Hen Hawk or Red-tail)

The Red-tailed Hawk is a powerful, heavy-set raptor with broad, rounded wings and a short, wide, characteristically brick-red tail in adults. They are the most common and widespread hawk in North America, frequently seen soaring in wide circles over open fields or perched on roadside telephone poles.

Earth-toned brown and buff-white coloration featuring distinctive dark brown transverse barring and mottling across a lighter tan background, typical of a Buteo hawk's protective camouflage plumage

Pennaceous at the upper distal end transitioning into slightly looser barbs toward the base, with a somewhat frayed and worn condition showing separated barbules

Relatively stiff and matte in appearance, with minor fraying along the edges indicating physical wear and weathering

Distinctive brown-and-white mottled and barred pattern typical of raptor contour plumage, combined with a robust, pale central rachis and moderately stiff vane structure

Extremely adaptable, found across a vast range of habitats including deserts, scrublands, urban areas, grasslands, agricultural fields, and deciduous or coniferous forests

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

Acts as an apex avian predator helping to regulate populations of small mammals, rodents, and reptiles, serving as an important ecological indicator of ecosystem health

Other Buteo species such as Cooper's Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, and Swainson's Hawk, though differing size and finer barring patterns help separate them

Red-tailed Hawks have incredible eyesight, capable of spotting a mouse from a height of 100 feet. Their iconic, raspy scream is frequently used in Hollywood films to sound like any eagle or hawk, regardless of the bird shown on screen

Fair to Poor condition; shows noticeable fraying, broken barbs along the edges, and signs of weathering typical of a dropped feather exposed to the elements

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