Red-tailed Hawk

Facts about Red-tailed Hawk bird. "Scientific name of Red-tailed Hawk bird of prey is Buteo Jamaicensis". The Red-tailed Hawk breed is all through most parts of North America, ranging from the northern parts of Canada to western parts of Alaska to as far as south Panama and the West Indies. The Red-tailed Hawk is one of the most familiar Buteos-(Hawk) in North America and they can adjust to all the biomes inside their range.
The Red-tailed Hawk is one of the biggest members of the Buteo genus in North America. The Red-tailed Hawk is officially protected in Mexico, Canada, and the United States through the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

Diet of the Red-tailed Hawk

The Red-tailed Hawk mostly feeds on creatures, such as mice, rabbits, wolves, wood rats, snowshoe hares, squirrels and jackrabbits. It also feeds on birds, including bobwhite, blackbirds. pheasants and starlings, in addition to carrion and snakes.

Names of the Red-tailed Hawk

The Red-tailed Hawk bird is one of the three species colloquially called as Chicken Hawk in the United States, though it seldom preys on average sized chickens. The Red-tailed Hawk is a Raptor that belongs to the Buteo Genus of the Accipitridae family.

weights and Size of the Red-tailed Hawk

Male Raptors are capable of growing to body length that ranges from 18 inches to 26 inches (45 cm to 65 cm), whereas the female ones have a body length between 19 inches and 26 inches (48 cm and 65 cm). Both male and female birds have a wingspan between 43 inches and 57 inches (110 cm and 145 cm).
Red-tailed Hawks display sexual dimorphism in their size, such that the female birds are 25% heavier than the males. A typical male Red-tailed Hawk has a body weight that ranges from 1.52 lbs to 3.53 lbs (690 grams to 1,600 grams), whereas the females have a body weight between 2.0 lbs and 4.4 lbs (900 grams and 2,000 grams).
The Red-tailed Hawk has a tail length, ranging from 7 3/8 inches to 10 1/4 inches (188 mm to 258.7 mm), whereas its exposed Culmen vary between 7/8 inches and 1 1/4 inches (21.7 mm and 30.2 mm). The tarsus of the Red-tailed Hawk has an average size between 2 7/8 inches and 3 3/4 inches (74.7 mm and 95.8 mm), whereas the size of the middle toe of these birds ranges from 1 1/2 inches to 2 1/8 inches (38.3 mm to 53.8 mm).

Features of the Red-tailed Hawk

The marks and hue differ across the subspecies, the basic look of the Red-tailed Hawk is constant. Overall, this Red-tailed Hawk is blocky and wide in shape, habitually appearing heavier than other hawks of analogous length. In nearly all color variations, a whitish underbelly with a dark tan band across the stomach, formed by horizontal lines in feather designing is present in these hawks. The underside of the younger birds may be covered with dark tan marking.

The color of the tail of the Red-tailed Hawk will be red, which offers the bird its name. The tail of the bird is consistently pale buff-orange below and brick-red above. These Red-tailed Hawks have a dark and a small bill, in the hooked shape trait of Raptors. The tail of these hawks is relatively small, wide, with chunky, thick wings. The Red-tailed Hawks have a small head, with the thick body structure. The legs, the cere, and the feet of these hawks are all yellow in color.

The Red-tailed Hawk occupies an extensive range of altitudes and habitats, as well as deserts, coniferous, grasslands and tropical rainforests, deciduous forests, urban areas and agricultural fields. The Red-tailed Hawk lives all through the North American continent, excluding in regions of continuous forest or the elevated arctic.

Egg laying of the Red-tailed Hawk

On average the Red-tailed Hawk lays about 2 to 3 eggs. The eggs are Whitish blotched with brown. Incubation takes place with both Red-tailed Hawk participating for 28 to 35 days. The female stays with the young most of the time during first few weeks. The male brings most of the food and the female tears it into small pieces to feed to the young. At about 4 to 5 weeks the food is just dropped in nest and the chicks will feed on there own. The young Red-tailed Hawk leave the nest at about 6 to 7 weeks and are not that strong yet for flight for another 2 to 3 weeks.

The maximum life span of the Red-tailed Hawk is 25 years.