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Red Tail Publishing, established 1992.

Red-tailed Hawk

This online Study Guide is provided as a complement to the

Working with Nature Series books:

FORESTS, TREES & WOOD and FIRESTORM IN THE FOREST.

 

     The Red-tailed Hawk is found in a wide range of habitats across North America.  It is known for its rufous tail.  The immature Red-tailed Hawks do not have the rufous tail.  This distinctive tail develops as an adult hawk reaches breeding age.  One form of Red-tailed Hawk, the Harlan’s Hawk, has a barred tail.

The Peterson’s field guide shows considerable variation in individual plumage of the hawks.  The male and female are similar in appearance.  The juvenile plumage differs from adult plumage. Seven forms of the Red-tailed Hawk are listed.

The Red-tailed Hawk nests in high locations, such as tree tops, rocky cliffs, and some have even been found nesting in high rise buildings.  Both the male and female build the nest.  The nest is often located near hunting grounds of open grass lands or the edges of forest woodlands.

The Red-tailed Hawk is a bird of prey, a hunter.  It serves an important role in the food chain by helping to keep rodent populations in check.  It mostly feeds on small rodents, occasionally it will feed on a larger mammal, like a squirrel.  They will also feed on dead animals if an opportunity arises. 

Photo by Mary Livingston © 2006

Some people used to think that Red-tailed Hawks were chicken killers.  A Red-tailed Hawk is no bigger than a chicken and is unable to carry that much weight.   They are unlikely to hunt domesticated animals (such as chickens) unless there is a severe disturbance in their regular food supply.  We have a local population of Red-tails in our area; they feed on the field mice and water rats regularly.  We really appreciate their contribution.

 

     One winter we had very heavy rains for a long period.  The field mice were literally drowned in their boroughs.  We also have free range chickens and there is ample opportunity on a daily basis for any of the local Red-tailed Hawks to hunt our chickens.  Only one time, in the 12 years of living at this location, have we observed a Red-tailed Hawk hunt a chicken.  That is one day out of over 4,000 days, which in no way represents a pattern of behavior.  In all fairness, this one time the hawk was hungry because its regular food supply of rodents was lost to the winter rains.  But the chicken was too big to carry off, and the Red-tail too cautious to eat it in our yard.  It was a dilemma for the hungry hawk, and a photo opportunity for us.

Historically the hawk plays a role in the folklore of many cultures.  In some Native American traditions, the Red-tailed Hawk is a strong symbol of visionaries and spiritual messengers.

 Suggested activities:

Bird watching is a fun activity for children.  A couple of good field guides, an inexpensive set of binoculars (recommend multiple pairs to ease sharing), and note pad with pencil are all that is needed.

http://www.birding.com/

http://www.floridabirdingtrail.com/

http://www.wildbirds.com/

http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/birds/  Patuxent Wildlife Research Center

http://www.americanbirding.org/ American Birding Association