Red-tailed Hawk (Red-tail)

The Red-tailed Hawk is a large, powerful raptor with broad, rounded wings and a short, wide tail. Adults typically display a rich brick-red tail contrasting with pale underparts and a streaked belly band. They are masters of soaring flight, frequently seen wheeling in wide circles over open fields or perched prominently on roadside utility poles.

Rich earth-brown base color featuring bold, distinct white or pale greyish-buff horizontal barring and mottling across the vanes, with a pale brownish-white calamus and rachis

Tightly interlocked pennaceous structure with well-developed barbicels and hooklets providing high rigidity and waterproof integrity; no noticeable afterfeather

Stiff, smooth, and matte finish with firm, interlocking vanes that resist bending, designed to withstand high aerodynamic pressure during soaring and flight maneuvers

Distinctive alternating dark brown and bold white horizontal bars or chevron patterns along a robust, pale-shafted secondary flight feather

Highly adaptable, inhabiting open country, deserts, scrublands, urban areas, deciduous and coniferous forests, agricultural fields, and grassland edges

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

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

Swainson's Hawk and Ferruginous Hawk, which can be distinguished by different fine barring patterns, overall coloration, and narrower or broader vane proportions

Red-tailed Hawks have phenomenal vision, capable of spotting a mouse from a height of 100 feet, and their iconic, raspy scream is frequently used in Hollywood films to sound like any soaring eagle or hawk

Good condition with minor wear at the very tip and intact, clean barbs showing minimal fading or structural damage