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Red-tailed Hawk
Buteo jamaicensis
33.7309, -96.7735
Field Notes
Description:
Large, highly variable hawk with brown upperparts, head and throat. The underparts are pale with brown streaks. Wings are pale below with dark bar at leading edge and dark tips. The tail is red-brown with dark terminal band. Legs and feet are yellow. Soars on thermals and updrafts.
Habitat:
Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge, a haven for migratory birds and other wildlife, lies on the Big Mineral Arm of Lake Texoma, on the Red River between Oklahoma and Texas. The refuge is made up of water, marsh, and upland habitat.
The main focus at Hagerman NWR is providing a winter home for thousands of waterfowl. Foremost among the waterfowl are Canada geese. During fall, winter, and spring, numbers can reach 7,500 or more. Other geese include white-fronted and snow geese, with a scattering of the smaller Ross' geese.
Notes:
The raspy cry of the Red-tailed Hawk is typically used in movies to represent any eagle or hawk anywhere in the world.
Males and females perform a courtship ritual in which they dive and roll in the sky. They will even lock talons and fall together a distance before splitting apart.
They can spot a mouse from a height of 100 feet.
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