Description 18-25" (46-64 cm). W. 4' (1.2 m).
A large stocky hawk. Typical light-phase birds have whitish breast
and rust-colored tail. Young birds duller, more streaked, lacking
rust-colored tail of adult; they are distinguished from Red-shouldered
and Swainson's hawks by their stocky build, broader, more rounded
wings, and white chest. This species quite variable in color, especially
in West, where blackish individuals occur; these usually retain
rusty tail.
Voice High-pitched descending scream with a hoarse quality, keeeeer.
Habitat Deciduous forests and open country of various kinds, including
tundra, plains, and farmlands.
Nesting 2 or 3 white eggs, spotted with brown, in a bulky nest
of sticks lined with shreds of bark and bits of fresh green vegetation,
placed in a tall tree or on a rock ledge.
Range Breeds throughout North America, from Alaska east to Nova
Scotia and southward. Winters across United States north to southern
British Columbia and Maritime Provinces.
Discussion The Red-tail is the most common and widespread American
member of the genus Buteo, which also includes the Red-shouldered,
Swainson's, and Gray hawks, among others. Like other hawks of this
group, it soars over open country in search of its prey but just
as often perches in a tree at the edge of a meadow, watching for
the slightest movement in the grass below. The Red-tail rarely
takes poultry, feeding mainly on small rodents. Certain western
birds with grayish, faintly streaked or mottled tails were formerly
considered a separate species called "Harlan's Hawk."
