Red-Tailed Hawk
Like totems atop telephone poles during the winter months
Description: Large bird of prey with broad, rounded wings and short, wide tail. Adult hawks are brown above, white belly with brown streaks or “belly band” and characteristic red tail. Females are twenty-five percent larger than males and may resemble a soaring eagle from a distance.
When: Year-round visitor in Louisiana though very few pairs breed here. They are found throughout the United States. The population expands in the south when red-tails from the north winter here.
Where: Red-tails are birds of open country: fields, pastures, agricultural lands, and urban areas.
Breeding: Northern central United States and further into Canada with both male and female building the nest. Red-tails display a spectacular sequence of aerial acrobatics during breeding. After flying in large circles to gain height, the male plunges into a deep dive and then climbs back up to circle even higher. Then the hawks lock talons and fall spiraling towards the earth. Red-tailed hawks are monogamous and may mate for life.
Feeding: Their diet consists mainly of mammals such as rats, mice, squirrels, rabbits, and birds, as well as snakes and carrion. While red-tails may be seen soaring overhead in subdivisions, they do not visit backyard feeders. They are also called the ‘chicken hawk’ though chickens are rarely their prey.
Interesting facts: This is one of the largest hawks in the United States. It can weigh up to 3.5 pounds with a wingspan of 43-57 inches. It can also be one of the most difficult hawks to identify because of the plumage variation. There are fourteen different subspecies in the United States. The brick coloration of the red-tail should make identification easy every time, but the tail isn’t red in juveniles or in the light and dark morph (color) subspecies. Red-tails keep bird watching a challenge!
Red-tails sit atop telephone poles, fences and other vantage points to watch for prey. With eyesight that is four to eight times better than humans, they can spot their prey far in the distance. Red-tails catch and kill their prey with their feet. They can be very aggressive when defending their territory and chase off other hawks and birds.
Because red-tails are capable hunters and are easy to train, they have been used for falconry. Falconry in America is highly regulated and falconers are permitted to only take hawks in their first year. While red-tails may be bred in captivity, these cannot be used for falconry. This has not had any effect on the red-tail population which is stable and healthy.
Like many birds of prey, the red-tail has asynchronous hatching. This occurs when all the eggs in a clutch do not hatch at the same time but are spread over a period of several days. Biologists believe this is an adaptation for fluctuations in food supply. When food is in short supply, the youngest or younger birds starve (brood reduction) to death. This allows the older ones to receive the available food and grow strong. Unfortunately, the younger, weaker chicks become a meal for the older siblings. It is survival of the fittest…
Happy birding!
Questions or comments? Please email Harriett at Harriett.pooler@gmail.com.