Red-tailed Hawk

This is a primary flight feather from a Red-tailed Hawk, likely an immature or light-morph adult. The bird itself is a large raptor with broad, rounded wings and a short, wide tail. While adults have the eponymous brick-red tail, their flight feathers remain barred with brown and white, providing camouflage and structural strength.

Base color is a creamy white to pale grey. The dorsal side features 5-6 distinct dark brown transverse bands (bars). The tip is solid dark brown. The trailing vane shows lighter, more mottled barring compared to the crisp bars on the narrower leading vane.

Pennaceous and tightly interlocked throughout most of the vane for aerobic efficiency; plumulaceous (downy) at the very base (calamus area). Barbs are stiff and intact, showing strong hooklets.

Smooth and stiff on the pennaceous vane, with a slightly matte finish. The leading edge is very rigid to cut through air, while the overall texture is dry and non-oily.

Distinctive dark brown banding on a light background, ivory-colored rachis, and significant vane asymmetry with a notched leading edge.

Extremely versatile; found in open country, teal-fields, woodlots, mountains, agricultural areas, and increasingly in urban parks and highways.

Common year-round resident throughout North America, ranging from central Alaska and Canada south to Panama and the West Indies.

Apex predator; plays a vital role in controlling rodent and rabbit populations. Their presence indicates a healthy, functioning ecosystem with a robust food base.

Red-shouldered Hawk (smaller, more frequent/tighter barring), Broad-winged Hawk (shorter, fewer bands), and Great Horned Owl (softer texture with 'fringe' on edges).

The 'screech' of a Red-tailed Hawk is so iconic that it is almost always used in Hollywood movies as the sound for any eagle or hawk, including the Bald Eagle (which actually has a much weaker chirping call).

Good condition. There is minor fraying on the trailing edge and some separation of the barbs near the mid-section, possibly from the molt process or handling. No obvious fault bars.