Red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

The Red-tailed hawk is a bird of prey and one of the most common in North America. It breeds throughout most of North America, from western Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies.

Identification

Adults

Adult male and female Red-tailed hawks are similar in appearance other than the female being larger. They have broad, rounded wings and a short, wide tail. They are rich brown above and pale below, with a streaked belly and, on the wing underside, a dark bar between shoulder and wrist. The tail is usually pale below and cinnamon-red above.

Immature

Immature birds are similar to adults except the tail is brown and banded.

Gallery

Red-tailed hawk

San Francisco Zoo (2008)

Red-tailed hawk

Groveland, California (2010)

Red-tailed hawk

Groveland, California (2009)

Related Page Hierarchy

Species

Kingdom: Animalia (animals)

Phylum: Chordata (vertebrates, sea squirts)

Class: Aves (birds)

Order: Accipitriformes (diurnal birds of prey)

Family: Accipitridae (hawks, eagles)

Golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)

Galápagos hawk (Buteo galapagoensis)

Red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

Red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus)

Swainson's hawk (Buteo swainsoni)

Northern harrier (Circus cyaneus)

Black-shouldered kite (Elanus axillaris)

Ruppell's vulture (Gyps rueppellii)

Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

Harris's hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus)