Keeping an Eye on Everything: The Red Tailed Hawk!
You've seen this bird before, whether you've realized it or not! If you live in North America, there's not much of a chance that you haven't seen one of these birds hovering over the highways and backroads at some point. The Red Tailed Hawk is the most populous species of hawks on the continent! It also has amazing vision to catch its prey.
Photo Courtesy of Steve Jurvetson
It Will Put up with Almost Anything...
One tough hawk!
Red Tailed Hawk
Red Tailed Hawk Poll
These Birds Get Around!
Red Tailed Hawks span half the globe!
Red Tailed Hawks are medium sized hawk that spans in range from Alaska all the way down to Central America. Their versatility and quick adaption to their environment has lead to them becoming a very dominant species population-wise. You'll find them in the bleek deserts of California, the wet rainforests of Panama, or the deep, lush highly competitive areas of Alaska. They have an approximate 43-57 inch wingspan, weighing in at around 1.4-4.3 pounds on the average. Females are also slightly larger than males. Red Tailed Hawk Items
New York Red-tailed Hawk Kids Baseball Jersey
Price: 22.00 
Red Tailed Hawk Tote Bag
Price: 16.99
Hawk Rectangle Magnet
Price: 4.49
Woah! What was that?
Faster than a speeding bullet? Not quite, but the Red Tailed Hawk can dive at a speed of up to 120 mph! That's faster than most cars! This feature gives it a cool advantage over it's prey.
Red Tailed Hawk Video
Red Tails on Flickr
As you can see, this bird is highly photographed and quite a beautiful bird! No wonder the Native Americans found it to be sacred.
This is one of the two wild Red-Tailed Hawks that swooped over my head, this one...
Red-tailed Hawks prefer to wait on a high perch and swoop down on prey; they als...
![Red-Tailed Hawk!!! by Nikographer [Jon]](http://static.flickr.com/2416/2170863247_83002e3d33_s.jpg)
This shot is the result of a dozen little decisions to do one thing instead of a...
Poiana codarossa - Red-tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensisPalazzolo Milanese, Ital...
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Red tailed hawk on the side of the road. When I stopped to photograph him he fle...
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Thank you for placing this in
The subject matter is so much more important than the photographer. ~Gordon Par...
Another view of my Red-tailed Hawk friend. Just a little touch of left-overs on ...
A red tail hawk enjoys a fresh rabbit for lunch. More info on my
![Red-Tailed Hawk by Nikographer [Jon]](http://static.flickr.com/161/423031249_07c40f0c53_s.jpg)
Red-Tailed Hawk @ Blackwater's 7th annual Eagle Festival, 3/10/2007.80-400mmVR...
They always see you. I was parked, sitting in my car, and taking the picture th...
? Navjot Singh 2007 all rights reserved. I like this picture of Red-tailed Ha...
![Red-Tailed Hawk! by Nikographer [Jon]](http://static.flickr.com/1068/1163515261_f2a26d8175_s.jpg)
Red Tail Hawk engulfing the tail of a recent kill (I believe it was a western ye...
I picked the worst [almost] weather to visit my local refuge to try out my new N...
Same juvenile red-tailed hawk taken the day before:
Time lapse stitched hawk flyover. Here is the same hawk from a better vantage, a...
What Do Red Tailed Hawks Look Like?
A quick way to identify these high flying hawks!
What do Red Tailed Hakws Eat?
These birds eat a variety of rodents, small mammals, songbirds, reptiles, and fish. It's not uncommon to even see them munching on a snake!
Eastern Birds Field Guide
A recommended guide to spot all types of birds!
A Field Guide to the Birds of Eastern and Central North America
Amazon Price: $12.97 (as of 07/14/2009)
List Price: $19.95
Unanimously applauded by reviewers and customers, this book has an unbeatable five star rating on Amazon. The pictures are crisp, clear, and the descriptions are accurate and comprehensive. Easy to read maps of the species range show where they live, and the differences between males and females are shown so you don't get confused.
Avg. Customer Rating: 
Red Tailed Hawks...they're territorial, so stay away from nests!
Pest Control
Red Tailed Hawks are one of nature's way of getting rid of the big rodent population. Nearly 90% of their diet consists of these critters, keeping them in check and keeping them out of everyone's homes!
Faithful Birds!
Hawks that stick by each other for life!
These birds rarely are anything but monogamous. They mate for life, or until the other mate dies. They'll stick together in the same nesting area for years, guarding it from other birds, then moving on when the time is right.When nesting, they typically have a clutch of 1-5 eggs in the early weeks of April. While the female incubates for the most part, the male will be out hunting. After successful hatching, which should be a little over a month, the birds will fly within 10 weeks.
Photo right: Courtesy of Thomas Oneil Photos
Start Birdwatching!
Bird Watching for Dummies
Amazon Price: (as of 07/14/2009)
List Price: $19.99
It's easy to read, simple, and like all of the Dummies books, provides an excellent overview. Start birding with this beginner's book!
Avg. Customer Rating:
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Red Tailed Hawk News...
- Undergraduate research growing in popularity
- ... campus for a project on "mobbing" - smaller prey animals such as crows or songbirds harassing and attacking a larger predator such as a red-tailed hawk. ...
- My backyard view of life and death
- All this came to a halt when a screeching Red-tailed Hawk landed on the chipmunk with outstretched talons and a loud thump from the force of the impact. ...
Like Red Tailed Hawks??
You'll probably like the American Kestrel too! Check out that lens for more information on this cool falcon.
Drop a Line Here!
Red Tails are a very cool bird that's neat to watch. Have a cool Red Tailed Hawk story? Share it here! Or, you can just drop in and say hello!
JohannTheDog wrote...
Interesting lens! We had one of those hawks in our backyard once, I barked it away, BOL!!!
Posted July 08, 2009
aj2008 wrote...
We dont have red tailed hawks here in the UK but we do have red kites. They are now protected and are making a comeback. Up until 10 years ago they were only found in Wales but now we have a family of four that frequently soar over our house - it is a fabulous sight!
Beautiful lens and thank you for adding to my plexo.
Posted April 24, 2009
cyberloon
Wonderful Lens!!! Thank You!
Posted January 29, 2009
Brush up on your Owl Knowledge...
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The Perfect Aerial Predator for the Arctic: Snowy Owls
-
Snowy Owls...they're elusive, secretive, and a silent predator. Only a handful of animals can exist in the frigid, bleak Arctic region. The Snowy Owl has adapted to this open, perilous environment perfectly. Though the Snowy Owl is globally known, n...
by kiwisoutback
Hi! The Red Tailed Hawk is one of the most common hawks in North America and is very versatile. It has adapted well to encroachment of their habitat b...
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