Red-tailed Hawk

Buteo jamaicensis

Almost every time you hear a hawk scream in a movie, regardless of the species shown on screen, it is actually the recorded call of a Red-tailed Hawk.

Scientific name

Buteo jamaicensis

Taxonomy

Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Accipitriformes › Accipitridae › Buteo

IUCN Red List status

Least Concern

Population trend

increasing

Biome

grassland

Habitat

Open landscapes including fields, pastures, parklands, and desert scrub, often nesting in high trees or on cliff ledges at the forest edge.

Diet

Carnivorous; primarily small mammals like voles, mice, and rabbits, but also snakes, lizards, and smaller birds.

Range

North America, Central America, Caribbean

Size

Wingspan of 3.4 to 4.8 feet; weight of 1.5 to 3.5 pounds.

Lifespan

10-15 years in the wild

Active

diurnal

Threats

Secondary poisoning from rodenticides and lead shot, collisions with vehicles and power lines, and habitat loss.

Safe to approach?

Harmless to humans from a distance. Observe quietly with binoculars. They are defensive only when protecting nests; maintain a 50-yard distance from nesting sites. If you find an injured hawk, do not attempt to handle it yourself as the talons are dangerous; contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator immediately.

The red-tailed hawk ( Buteo jamaicensis ) is a bird of prey that breeds throughout most of North America, from the interior of Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies. It is one of the most common members within the genus of Buteo in North America or worldwide. The red-tailed hawk is one of three species colloquially known in the United States as the "chickenhawk", though it rarely preys on standard-sized...

Photo: Claude Lyneis, CC0, via iNaturalist

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