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Red-tailed Hawk

Buteo jamaicensis

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34.8056, -106.892

Field Notes

Description:

This large hawk comes in a wide variety of plumage patterns and coloration with a greater variation in the western part of their range. Like other buteos the wings are broad and rounded. The tail is relatively short and broad. In adult birds the tail is reddish brown from above.

Habitat:

Red-tailed hawks range across a wide variety of habitats, including forests and grasslands.

Reference Links:

Red-tailed Hawk, Identification, All About Birds - Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Species ID Suggestions

Red-Tailed Hawk

Buteo jamaciensis
ChristyHolland
3

Comments (8)
Braelei
Great photos. I always thought the dark morph was more appealing than the normal or light. Very regal looking!
EmilyMarino
Great story Gordon, I bet that was a cool experience! Maybe you should take up photographing carp too! If anyone can make them into interesting subject matter it's you! Great conservation work you do! Oh, and the second picture is great too! Love them both!
Gordon Dietzman
The life of a conservation educator! Sometimes teachable moments crop up and one just has to take advantage of them....grin.
ChristyHolland
Wow! Talk about a distraction!! I agree...that would have been MUCH more interesting than carp! The 2nd shot is great too!
Gordon Dietzman
Ha! I'm giving up on IDing western hawks...grin. Redtaileds here in Minnesota don't vary much in color/pattern and are easy to ID. A few days ago I was doing an interpretive talk (about Asian carp to a small group at a science museum). We were standing at some big fifth floor windows that overlook the Mississippi River when two migrating redtaileds caught an updraft off the building and hovered right in front of us only about 30 feet away. So cool! Well a bird in the hand--so to speak--trumps carp any day and the discussion rapidly turned to birds and bird migration. Then a bald eagle flew down the center of the river about a hundred yards away. Since bald eagles are primarily fish-eaters it was easy to move back to native fishes and the effects invasive carps have on them. Emily, I've added another photo. Thanks everyone for catching my error--appreciate it.
EmilyMarino
I agree with Liam and Christy! I have been seeing a lot of dark morph red-tailed hawks lately! Regardless, beautiful photo! Your photographs never disappoint! Do you have any other shots of this guy?
Liam
Definitely a dark morph Red-tailed Hawk. Ferruginous Hawks have larger bills with a long, bright yellow flange.
ChristyHolland
That's a gorgeous shot! However, I believe you've got a Red-Tailed Hawk - dark phase.

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Raptors of North America

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Photographed
PublishedMarch 13, 2012

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