Red-tailed Hawk

Few raptors are as familiar across North America as the Red-tailed Hawk, which ranges from Alaska to Panama and adapts readily to farmland, grassland, roadsides, and suburbs. Plumage varies from pale to dark morphs, but most adults show rich brown upperparts, a pale breast with a dark belly band, and the rufous-red tail that gives the bird its name. It hunts small to medium mammals — especially voles, mice, and rabbits — from high perches or on the wing, also taking birds, reptiles, and large insects. Nests hold two to four eggs, incubated for 28 to 35 days, with young fledging at 42 to 46 days. Its raspy, descending scream is so evocative that films routinely dub it over footage of other raptors. The species is classified as Least Concern.