Red-tailed Hawk (Buzzard)

A striking medium-to-large hawk with broad wings and a short, wide tail. Adults typically feature a brick-red tail, pale chest with a streaked belly band, and mottled brown upperparts

Rich earth-brown and cinnamon bars across a creamy-buff or whitish background, featuring distinct horizontal blocky striping

Pennaceous upper portion with tightly interlocked barbs and barbules, transitioning to a plumulaceous (fluffy/downy) base

Smooth, firm, and matte texture on the pennaceous vane, with a softer, downy texture at the base

Distinctive bold brown and cream horizontal barring across a broad, rounded feather vane with a sturdy central shaft

Extremely adaptable, found in deserts, scrublands, urban areas, agricultural fields, grasslands, and coniferous or deciduous forests

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

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

Swainson's Hawk or Ferruginous Hawk, which can be distinguished by subtle differences in barring width, coloration tones, and geographic overlap

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

Good condition, with intact barbs along the upper vane and minor fraying at the fluffy basal section