Red-tailed Hawk
(Buteo jamaicensis)
Conservation • Description • Habitat • Ecology • Distribution • Taxonomy
|
|
||||||||||||||
Description |
|
Size |
Male: 18″ to 23″ in length Female: 20″ to 25″ in length |
Voice |
|
|
Similar Species |
Habitat |
Open country with some trees |
Ecology |
Migration |
Mid-February to late April and mid-August through November |
Nesting |
|
Food |
|
Distribution |
Occurrence |
Common migrant and breeder |
Maps |
The Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union All Seasons Species Occurrence Map |
Taxonomy |
|
Class |
Aves (birds) |
Order |
Accipitriformes (hawks, eagles, kites, and allies) |
Family |
Accipitridae (hawks, eagles, and kites) |
Subfamily |
Accipitrinae (typical hawks and harriers) |
Subfamily |
Buteoninae (buteonine hawks, kites, and allies) |
Genus |
Buteos (buteos) |
Subordinate Taxa |
|
Alaska Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis alascensis) Caribbean Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis jamaicensis) Costa Rican Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis costaricensis) Cuban Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis solitudinus) Eastern Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis borealis) Florida Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis umbrinus) Fuertes’s Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis fuertesi) Harlan’s Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis harlani) Krider’s Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis kriderii) Northern Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis abieticola) Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis hadropus) Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis kemsiesi) Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis suttoni) Socorro Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis socorroensis) Tres Marias Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis fumosus) Western Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis calurus) |
|
Synonyms |
|
Falco jamaicensis |
|
Visitor Photos |
||
Share your photo of this bird. |
||
This button not working for you? |
||
Mike Poeppe |
||
 |
 |
|
 |
||
Gregory Gilman |
 |
Ramona Abrego |
||
 |
 |
|
Lynn Rubey |
||
 |
 |
|
An immature Red-tailed Hawk landing on a tree limb in The Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge turning to look at me before turning its attention on to a prey before taking off flying in the other direction. |
||
Norm & Peg Dibble |
||
Red Tailed Hawk? |
||
 |
 |
|
Taking a bath in the stream, Summer 2008—one of our most exciting sightings. He sat on two different fences in our yard drying out and didn’t care that Norm was photographing him at all. We thought birds nearby were unaware and would be in grave danger, but he did not care about them. We figured he didn’t go after birds, but more so rodents. |
||
It started to sprinkle and Norm stood next to him in the driveway with an umbrella snapping his picture (with normal lens) for quite a while! What a sight. |
||
Dan W. Andree |
||
 |
 |
|
Red-tailed Hawk at nest.... Red-tailed Hawk at nest.... Not the best photo but one cannot stick around their area that long without disturbing them. I like this hawk and hawks are pretty awesome when they are soaring high in the sky to. This nest was in a White Pine tree in Mn. April 2018. |
Red-tailed Hawk in flight... In this photo you can see the rusty or reddish brown tail. |
|
 |
 |
|
| A mature hawk high in the sky | ||
| Immature Red-tailed Hawk in Flight. | ||
Wayne Rasmussen |
||
 |
 |
|
Black Dog Preserve is located on the south side of the Minnesota River in Burnsville. This hawk caught my attention on a cold winter day. |
Oxbow Co Park, Olmstead Co, MN |
|
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
||
|
||
|
Slideshows |
Red-tailed Hawk |
|
Eastern Red-tailed Hawk |
|
Western Red-tailed Hawk |
|
Red-Tailed Hawks |
|
Red-tailed Hawk Hunting Expedition |
|
About
I saw this hawk on a flagpole the day before I took these shots. I decided to bring the DSLR the next day knowing the chance I'd see it again would be remote. I saw it on the top of the light pole as soon as I pulled into the parking lot. As I approached, I took some shots. Within a minute or two, it swooped down to grab a mouse. After it secured its prey, it proceeded to the top of another light pole nearby. For the nest several minutes I watched as it tore apart and ate the little mouse. The last 12 or so in this set are from 8-18-10 but it might be the same hawk. It hangs around work fairly regularly. |
Visitor Videos |
||
Share your video of this bird. |
||
This button not working for you? |
||
|
Other Videos |
||
Red-Tailed Hawk |
About
Uploaded on Nov 22, 2006 http://www.ecolifefoundation.org/ A short close up movie of Samantha a Red-Tailed Hawk and Kent Mahaffey. Berwick Productions. Thank you for your support in caring for our birds. |
Red-Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) in HD |
About
Uploaded on Jun 25, 2010 Red Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) in a raining day in Watertown, MA |
Red Tailed Hawk Catches Squirrel and Eats It |
About
Published on Jan 6, 2014 Texas Red Tailed Hawk stalks, pursues and eats a large Fox Squirrel on January 5, 2014 during very cold weather for Texas and high winds. Hawks are carnivores (meat eaters) that belong to the category of birds known as raptors -- birds of prey. They have strong, hooked beaks; their feet have three toes pointed forward and one turned back; and their claws, or talons, are long, curved and very sharp. Prey is killed with the long talons and, if it is too large to swallow whole, it is torn to bite-sized pieces. The red-tailed hawk is a most opportunistic hunter. Its diet is varied, but there is conclusive evidence now that 85 to 90 % is composed of small rodents, with rabbits, snakes and lizards included. Like all hawks, its talons are its main weapons. |
Visitor Sightings |
||
Report a sighting of this bird. |
||
This button not working for you? |
||
Mike Poeppe |
Location: Houston County |
 |
| Deena Hillenbrand 12/20/2021 |
Location: Blomkest, MN My backyard is full of those nasty little red squirrels and the hawk was in one of the evergreen trees eating a squirrel. I hope he sticks around and gets them all. I took a photo but their not very good ones. |
|
| Gregory Gilman 5/10/2020 |
Location: Rochester, MN |
|
| Lynn Rubey 5/13/2019 |
Location: Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge An immature Red-tailed Hawk landing on a tree limb in The Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge turning to look at me before turning its attention on to a prey before taking off flying in the other direction. |
|
| Michelle 8/26/2019 - 9/7/2019 |
Location: North St. Paul, MN Hawk has hanging around the neighborhood. Do not see it every day but we can hear it. |
|
| Dan W. Andree April 2018 |
Location: Mn. It was singing perched next to a grassy region. I have noticed a slight increase of the Eastern Meadow Lark due to a few more grassy or meadow like areas for them to live. Very nice sight to see and real pleasant to hear it sing. |
|
| Dan W. Andree 4/20/2018 |
Location: Norman Co. Mn. In this photo you can see the rusty or reddish brown tail. |
|
| Ramona Abrego 9/23/2017 |
Location:Washington County |
|
| Dan W. Andree October 2016 |
Location: Rural Norman Co. Mn. Immature Red-tailed Hawk in Flight. |
|
| Wayne Rasmussen 6/28/2016 |
Location: Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Black Dog Unit Black Dog Preserve is located on the south side of the Minnesota River in Burnsville. This hawk caught my attention on a cold winter day. |
|
| Wayne Rasmussen 6/25/2016 |
Location: Oxbow Park & Zollman Zoo |
|
| Norm & Peg Dibble Summer 2008 |
Location: Maple Grove, MN It started to sprinkle and Norm stood next to him in the driveway with an umbrella snapping his picture (with normal lens) for quite a while! What a sight. |
|
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings |
||
|
Created: Last Updated: © MinnesotaSeasons.com. All rights reserved. |