Red-tails are one of the largest birds of prey in North America. Most of the time when you hear a bird of prey screech in a movie, whether it’s an eagle, hawk, or falcon being shown, you are really hearing a sound clip of a Red-tailed Hawk.Ģ4. The Red-tailed hawk has a very distinctive and raspy scream that is very recognizable. However they can be all dark like the Harlan’s, or very pale all over like the Krider’s.Ģ3. They are mainly brown above, pale below with streaked belly and reddish tail. Red-tailed Hawks have very variable plumage, sometimes related to the region they live and subspecies that they are. There are 14 recognized subspecies of the Red-tailed Hawk. Crows are highly intelligent birds and recognize Red-tails as enemies because of this and will attack them, sometimes in large numbers.Ģ1. Red-tailed Hawks eat other birds and will steal young from their nests as a meal, this includes crows. However they co-exist in many areas because the hawks hunt during the day and the owls hunt at night.Ģ0. They are natural enemies and will battle over nests and even eat each others young if given the opportunity.
The Great Horned Owl is the Red-tails main foe and natural predator. The young may start to fledge in about 42 days, however they may remain with the parents for up to 60 or 70 additional days while they are “learning to adult”. Juveniles don’t grow in their red tail feathers until around their second year of life.ġ8. The eggs are laid every other day and are incubated by both parents for up to 35 days, the male hunts for food when it’s not his turn.ġ7. The female lays anywhere from 1 to 5 eggs, usually in early April. Their nests, which may be used several years in a row, are about 28-38 inches wide and up to 3 feet tall.ġ6. Red-tailed hawks aren’t at breeding age until they are around 3 years old.ġ5. Red-tailed Hawks build nests in a tall trees, on cliff ledges, high up on billboards, and other places that give them a commanding view of the landscape beneath.ġ4. Red-tails are monogamous birds and mate with the same individual for many years only changing mates when one dies.ġ3. Sometimes they will lock talons and plummet towards the ground before breaking apart.ġ2. Red-tailed Hawks put on amazing aerial displays during courtship when the male and female soar together in circles before mating. Red-tailed hawk breeding, nesting, juveniles image: Mike’s Birds – CC 2.0ġ1. The Red-tailed hawk is federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and can’t be hunted or harassed in any way without a special permit from the U.S. Red-tailed Hawks have increased and extended their range over the last centuryġ0. Red-tailed Hawks are not endangered and the population is steadily increasing.ĩ. This number accounts for about 90% of the global Red-tailed Hawk population. There are almost 2 million nesting hawks in North America. Red-tailed hawk range and population image credit: Ĩ. They stay in the same territory their whole lives, usually just about 2 square miles, but that area may be as big as 10 square miles. Red-tails are highly adaptable to their environments and can be found in a number of different places including open woodlands, deserts, grasslands, fields, parks, and along roadsides.ħ. They are not above stealing prey from other raptors. Among their favorite in the snake category are Rattlesnakes and Bull Snakes.ĥ.
Red-tails do eat reptiles which includes snakes. Juveniles however are growing and need to eat more often than adults.Ĥ. Adult Red-tailed hawks don’t have to eat every day and may fast once a week. They are occasionally seen hunting in pairs and blocking off escape routes for their prey.ģ. Do Red-tailed Hawks eat cats or dogs? No you don’t have to worry about that, it’s extremely rare.Ģ. They also enjoy eating other birds, fish, and reptiles. The Red-tailed hawk’s diet consists mainly of small mammals and rodents including squirrels and mice. They really are some of the coolest birds of prey in North America so let’s get right into some amazing red-tailed hawk facts! Interesting facts about Red-tailed hawks Red-tailed hawk dietġ. You probably pass them regularly and don’t even realize it. They are excellent hunters and there are loads of interesting facts about Red-tailed hawks. The Red-tailed hawk is the most common species of hawk in North America and can be seen soaring above open fields looking for prey, sitting atop telephone poles looking for prey, or on a tree branch… yes, looking for prey.
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