Reptiles, invertebrates, amphibians, and sometimes carrion, make up the remainder of their food. They hunt for many types of small mammals, including voles, rats, mice, rabbits, and ground squirrels. Red-tails have a diet which varies with location and season. They're found throughout most of North and Central America, but not in the arctic tundra.
Where trees are lacking, they may roost and nest on tall cacti, cliffs, and similar elevated sites. One of the most common North American raptors, red-tailed hawks inhabit a wide variety of open country. He was a wild bird that hatched in the city of Harrisburg in 2002, suffered a wing injury, and was deemed non-releasable by a local wildlife rehabilitator. Pee-wee has been our resident male since April of 2003. Our red-tailed hawk habitat houses one adult hawk. The nest is usually located near a woodland edge, which provides cover for the nest, while keeping close access to preferred hunting grounds. Like most raptors, the red-tail will mate for life, often returning annually to the same nesting area. An adult red-tailed hawk has very distinctive field marks, with a wide, reddish upper tail, broad wings for soaring, and a dark belly band on a white chest. The back is mottled brown, and the tail of mature birds is orangish red with a thin, dark. Red-tailed hawks are large-bodied raptors with relatively broad wings.
Other times you’ll see them atop telephone poles, eyes fixed on the ground to catch the movements of a vole or a rabbit, or simply waiting out cold weather before climbing a thermal updraft into the sky. Using its extraordinary eyesight, the hawk locates unsuspecting prey like field mice and rabbits. One of the most familiar sights along the roads of Oregon is a Red-tailed hawk soaring high on the sky over a field, or perched on a utility pole, waiting patiently for prey. Red-tailed Hawks soar above open fields, slowly turning circles on their broad, rounded wings. Juvenile birds don’t sport their red tail feathers until the start of their second year.Preferring to hunt the open lands, this diurnal bird of prey will soar over fields or perch patiently on nearby trees. During the winter, they can be seen from the trails sitting in a pair, out hunting prey or flying high above their nesting territory.Īdult red-tailed hawks only weigh between 3 and 4 pounds. Metroparks such as Wildwood, Oak Openings, Secor, Fallen Timbers Battlefield and Pearson are home to nesting red-tailed hawks in March, April and May. They are beneficial to local ecosystems and crucial to maintaining an important balance by helping to keep the populations of prey species healthy and in check. While some overlap exists, with large hawks measuring larger than small eagles, eagles usually represent the larger species. The main difference between a hawk vs eagle has to do with their respective size. Swift diving maneuvers also enhance their hunting abilities, as they may reach speeds of 120 mph at times.ĭuring these dives, their eyes are actually shielded from any dust or debris by a special, third eyelid, called a nictitating membrane - similar to having a convenient pair of goggles ready to go in an instant.Īs predators at the top of the food chain, raptors like the red-tailed hawk have been identified as key indicators of ecosystem health. The red-tailed hawk’s distinct tail feathers are a result of the molting process. In addition to their other amazing hunting abilities, red-tails possess a good sense of hearing and also an incredibly magnified sense of vision that is eight times better than ours! In flight, they can spot a rodent or shrew on the ground from 100 feet in the air as they scan the landscape below. This species is part of the “buteo” group of raptors - “bulky” yet skilled predators built for soaring the skies with a wingspan of around four feet wide. They usually seek out the edges of farm fields or open meadows looking for easy prey. Red-tails can be found almost anywhere above and among our own urban backyards, agricultural fields, wetlands and forests. Most of us have probably spied these widespread, highly efficient hunters more than once, either on the move, flying high in the sky, or waiting quietly for a rodent, snake or small mammal to wander by for a quick meal. Its robust, lurking silhouette is sometimes hard to miss along the interstate or a rural road perched on a tree, utility line or pole. A red-tailed hawk can easily be identified from a vehicle going 55 mph.
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