Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
Compiled by Lisa S. Graham.
If you’ve ever heard a bird screaming in a western, chances are it was the call of the Red-tailed Hawk – even if the bird shown is another raptor entirely. Their raspy scream is just what you’d imagine that a bird of prey sounds like.
One of the most common hawks in North America, the Red-tailed Hawk lives in Central Texas year-round, and in winter is joined by others of their kind migrating from far north. I see these beautiful raptors most often perched on the light poles or soaring overhead while scanning the area for prey – you’re almost guaranteed to see one on Mopac, north or south of the river. You likely won’t see them at your backyard feeder; most likely raptor visits there will come from Cooper’s or Sharp-shinned hawks.
A member of the Buteo genus, these hawks have a broad body, rounded wings, and a short, wide (and red) tail. As is true for most birds to prey, females are larger than males in length and weight but with similar wingspan. These raptors are lightweight though; they rarely weigh more than 3 pounds. Their bellies and the undersides of their wings are streaked, with a dark bar between shoulder and wrist (yes, birds have wrists!). Their tail is pale underneath, and cinnamon-red when viewed from above.
These hawks prefer open country that provides high viewpoints, often perching on fence posts, telephone and light poles, and isolated trees. Their diet is varied – they eat small mammals (but very rarely household pets), birds, snakes, and sometimes bats or frogs and toads. They will also occasionally feed on carrion.
During mating season, the male will court the female by soaring to great heights, then steeply diving and shooting back up again. Sometimes the male and female will grasp talons and plummet in spirals before pulling away. The male will also catch prey then pass it to the female during flight. Over 4 to 7 days, they will build their nest together, generally in the highest tree in the area or even on man-made structures such as towers or buildings. Mated pairs mostly stay together for life or until one of them dies. They can be aggressive when defending their nests or territories and will chase off other hawks, eagles, or owls.
The female most often lays a clutch of 2 to 3 eggs which both parents incubate for 28 to 35 days. Once the brood hatches, the female stays with them while the male hunts and brings back the food which the female tears up and feeds the young. The young will fledge about 6 to 7 weeks after hatching but often remain with their parents for 4 or more weeks until they are adept at flight.
Interested in observing the Red-tailed Hawk? Cornell Labs has a live cam set up on the Cornell campus where Big Red and her mate, Arthur, have had a nest annually since 2018. Her previous mate, Ezra, died in 2017 after sustaining injuries in a collision. Ezra is immortalized in the atrium of the Corson-Mudd Hall at Cornell in a sculpture called “Hello, Daddy!” created by a fan of the pair, David Cohen.
Featured photo credit: Alan Zhou
Article photo credit: Brian Sullivan, Macaulay Library.
Sources include All About Birds (Cornell) and Audubon Field Guide.
