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

The Red-tailed Hawk is a robust, heavy-set bird of prey with broad wings and a short, wide tail. Adults typically feature a distinctive rust-red tail. They are masterful soarers, often seen circling lazily over open fields or perched on roadside poles scanning the ground for small mammals.

Predominantly white to pale buff base with characteristic rich brown spotting and barring along the distal edges. The rachis transitions from white at the base to a warm brownish-orange tint.

Pennaceous at the upper tip with a fluffy, plumulaceous base containing a well-developed afterfeather (aftershaft). Barbs are intact with standard hooklets near the apex.

Soft and silky at the base with a firmer, smooth texture toward the rounded tip. Matte finish with no gloss or iridescence.

Distinctive brown spotting on a white/buff background with a fluffy plumulaceous base and a prominent afterfeather, characteristic of larger Buteo body plumage.

Extremely adaptable, inhabiting deserts, scrublands, urban areas, mountainous regions, coniferous and deciduous forests, and agricultural fields.

Widespread throughout North America, ranging from Alaska and northern Canada down through Central America and the Caribbean.

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

Rough-legged Hawk and Ferruginous Hawk, though their body feathers often differ in fine patterning, foot feathering presence, or background coloration.

Red-tailed Hawks have incredible vision, capable of spotting a mouse from a height of 100 feet. They are also the most common hawk used in North American falconry.

Good condition with minor wear at the extreme tip. No visible fault bars or parasitic damage; cleanly molted.