Red-tailed Hawk
(Buteo jamaicensis)
| Red-tailed
Hawk Information Length: 18 - 25" Habitat: Deciduous forests, mixed deciduous and coniferous forests; forest edges; open country such as fields, pastures, swampy areas. Prefers woodlots adjacent to or surrounded by open areas. Diet: Small rodents such as voles, squirrels, mice, chipmunks; other small mammals, esp. cottontail rabbits, shrews, and moles; |
Red-tailed Hawk |
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| amphibians,reptiles; birds, esp. | Photo © David Blevins | ||||
| red-winged blackbirds; insects; carrion. | Click to enlarge | ||||
 Identification
tips for the Red-tailed Hawk |
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 Flight
calls of the Red-tailed Hawk |
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| © The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithica, New York. Recordist: R. Stein | |||||
 Red-tailed
Hawk Nesting and Breeding |
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| Range
Maps (Click map to enlarge) |
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| Breeding Map | Winter Map (CBC) | ||||
| Behavior
and Habits The Red-tailed Hawk's main hunting technique is to sit on a perch and scan the surrounding area for prey. It is also known to hunt by flying back and forth over an area at a height of about 200 feet or less. This buteo's keen eyesight allows it to spot its prey from a great distance. Only those Red-tailed Hawks in the northern part of their range are long-distance migrants. Those in the middle latitudes will withdraw slightly southward in the fall, migrating much shorter distances. Few Red-tailed Hawks are found in northern New England during the winter, but these birds are common in southern New England during this time. However, those hawks are most likely ones that have migrated from further north. |
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