View source for Red-tailed hawk

{{Short description|Species of bird}}
{{Good article}} 
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2025}}
{{Speciesbox
|status=LC
|status_system=IUCN3.1
|status_ref=<ref name=IUCN>BirdLife International. (2016). ''Buteo jamaicensis''. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. {{doi|10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22695933A93534834.en}}</ref>
|image = Red-tailed Hawk (45812546121).jpg
|image_caption = Adult in Contra Costa County, California
|image2 = Screaming Hawk.wav
|image2_caption = Red-tailed hawk call
|taxon=Buteo jamaicensis
|authority=([[Johann Friedrich Gmelin|Gmelin]], 1788)
|synonyms=
''Buteo borealis''<br>
''Buteo broealis'' <small>(''[[lapsus]]'')</small><br />
''Falco borealis'' <small>Gmelin</small><br />
''Falco harlani'' <small>Audubon</small>
}}

The '''red-tailed hawk''' ('''''Buteo jamaicensis''''') is a [[bird of prey]] and one of the most common [[Buteo|hawks]] in [[North America]]. In the United States, it is one of three species colloquially known as the "[[Chickenhawk (bird)|chickenhawk]]". The red-tailed hawk breeds throughout most of the continent, from western [[Alaska]] and northern [[Canada]] to as far south as [[Panama]] and the [[West Indies]]. The red-tailed hawk occupies a wide range of habitats and altitudes including deserts, grasslands, [[coniferous]] and [[deciduous]] forests, agricultural fields and urban areas. It is absent in areas of unbroken forest and in the [[arctic|high arctic]]. It is legally protected in Canada, Mexico and the United States by the [[Migratory Bird Treaty]].

The red-tailed hawk is one of the largest members of the genus ''[[Buteo]]'' in North America, typically weighing from {{Convert|690|to|1600|g|lbs|abbr=on|sigfig=2}} and measuring {{Convert|45|-|65|cm|abbr=on}} in length, with a wingspan from {{Convert|110|-|145|cm|abbr=on}}. Females are about 25% heavier than males. It has a stocky body with broad wings, and can be distinguished from other North American hawks by the eponymous tail, which is uniformly brick-red above and light buff-orange below. The species feeds on a wide range of small animals such as rodents, birds, and reptiles. Pairs stay together for life, taking a new mate only when the original mate dies. The pair constructs a stick [[bird nest|nest]] in a high tree, in which a clutch of one to three eggs is laid.

The 14 recognized subspecies vary in appearance and range. The subspecies '''Harlan's hawk''' (''B. j. harlani'') is sometimes considered a separate species (''B. harlani''). Because they are so common and easily trained as capable hunters, the majority of hawks captured for [[falconry]] in the United States are red-tailed hawks. The [[feather]]s and other parts of the red-tailed hawk are considered [[sacred]] to many American [[indigenous peoples|indigenous people]].

==Taxonomy==

The red-tailed hawk was [[species description|scientifically described]] in 1788 by German naturalist [[Johann Friedrich Gmelin]] under the name ''Falco jamaicensis''.<ref>{{cite book | last=Gmelin | first=Johann Friedrich | author-link=Johann Friedrich Gmelin| year=1788 | title=''Systema naturae per regna tria naturae : secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis'' | edition=13th | volume=1, Part 1 | language=la | place=Lipsiae [Leipzig] | publisher=Georg. Emanuel. Beer | page=266 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/25751486 }}</ref> Gmelin based his description on the "cream-coloured buzzard" described in 1781 by [[John Latham (ornithologist)|John Latham]] in his ''A General Synopsis of Birds'', based on a specimen from Jamaica that a friend sent to him.<ref>{{cite book | last=Latham | first=John | author-link=John Latham (ornithologist) | year=1781 | title=A General Synopsis of Birds | volume=1 |department=Part&nbsp;1 | pages=49–50 | place=London, UK | publisher= Printed for Benj. White | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/33727557 }}</ref> The red-tailed hawk is one of 28 species in the [[genus]] ''[[Buteo]]'', which was named by French naturalist [[Bernard Germain de Lacépède]] in 1799.<ref>{{cite book | last=Lacépède | first=Bernard Germain de | author-link=Bernard Germain de Lacépède | year=1799 | chapter=Tableau des sous-classes, divisions, sous-division, ordres et genres des oiseux | title=Discours d'ouverture et de clôture du cours d'histoire naturelle | language=fr | publisher=Plassan | place=Paris | page=4 | chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6uhAAAAAcAAJ&pg=RA3-PA4 }} Page numbering starts at one for each of the three sections.</ref><ref name=ioc>{{cite web | editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Rasmussen | editor3-first=Pamela | editor3-link=Pamela Rasmussen | year=2020 | title=Hoatzin, New World vultures, Secretarybird, raptors | series=IOC World Bird List |edition=vers&nbsp;10.2 | publisher=[[International Ornithologists' Union]] | url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/raptors/ |access-date=9 October 2020 }}</ref> Members of the genus ''Buteo'' are medium-sized raptors with robust bodies and broad wings. They are known as ''buzzards'' in Europe, but as ''hawks'' in North America.<ref name="ITIS">{{ITIS |id=175350 |taxon=''Buteo jamaicensis'' (J. F. Gmelin, 1788) |access-date=16 May 2011}}</ref>

The genus name ''Buteo'' is derived from the [[Latin]] {{lang|la|būteō}} meaning {{gloss|buzzard}}. The specific name ''jamaicensis'' refers to the island of Jamaica, which derives from the [[Taíno language|Taíno]] word {{lang|tnq|Xaymaca}} meaning {{gloss|land of woods and water}}.<ref name="BOW">{{Cite BOW|citation=Preston, C. R. and R. D. Beane (2024). Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), version 1.1. In Birds of the World (A. F. Poole and M. G. Smith, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.rethaw.01.1}}</ref> "Red-tailed hawk" is the official English [[common name]] designated by the [[International Ornithologists' Union]] (IOU).<ref name=ioc /> In the United States, the red-tailed hawk is one of three species colloquially known  as the "[[Chickenhawk (bird)|chickenhawk]]," though it rarely preys on standard-sized chickens.<ref name=aablh>{{cite web |url=http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-tailed_Hawk/lifehistory |title=Red-tailed Hawk |work=All About Birds |publisher=[[Cornell University]] |access-date=15 September 2025}}</ref>

There are at least 14 recognized subspecies of ''Buteo jamaicensis'', which vary in range and in coloration:<ref name="Preston"/> The subspecies Harlan's hawk (''B. j. harlani'') is sometimes considered a separate species (''B. harlani'').<ref name="Maxwell2013">{{cite book |last=Maxwell |first=Terry C. |title=Wildlife of the Concho Valley |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qVi9AAAAQBAJ&pg=PT148 |date=2013 |publisher=Texas A&M University Press |isbn=978-1-62349-006-5 |page=148}}</ref>

*''[[Jamaican red-tailed hawk|B. j. jamaicensis]]'', the nominate subspecies, occurs in the northern [[West Indies]].<ref>[http://avespr.org/speciesinfo.php?spid=184&la=es Guaraguao Colirrojo] on AvesPR.org</ref><ref>[http://edicionesdigitales.info/AvesRUM/AvesRUM/guaraguao_colirrojo.html Guaraguao colirrojo] on EdicionesDigitales</ref>
*''[[Alaska red-tailed hawk|B. j. alascensis]]'' breeds (probably resident) from southeastern coastal [[Alaska]] to the [[Queen Charlotte Islands]] and [[Vancouver Island]] in British Columbia.<ref name="Gov">{{cite web|url=http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/animals/bird/buja/all.html#DISTRIBUTION%20AND%20OCCURRENCE|title=''Buteo jamaicensis''|publisher=[[United States Department of Agriculture]] |last=Tesky|first=Julie L.|access-date=10 June 2007}}</ref>
*''[[Eastern red-tailed hawk|B. j. borealis]]'' group<ref name="SibleySsp">{{cite web|url=http://www.sibleyguides.com/about/the-sibley-guide-to-birds/subspecies-names-in-the-sibley-guide-to-birds/ |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6PJRBx3Dz?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sibleyguides.com%2Fabout%2Fthe-sibley-guide-to-birds%2Fsubspecies-names-in-the-sibley-guide-to-birds%2F |archive-date=4 May 2014 |access-date=4 May 2014 |title=Subspecies names in the Sibley Guide to Birds |work=Sibley Guides: Identification of North American Birds and Trees |date=19 December 2009 |first=David Allen |last=Sibley |publisher=Random House |url-status=dead  }} Website based on / supplement to book, {{cite book |title=The Sibley Guide to Birds |edition=Second |first=David Allen |last=Sibley |publisher=Knopf Doubleday (Random House) |isbn=9780307957900 |date=11 March 2014}}</ref> (eastern red-tailed hawk)<ref name="SibleySsp"/> breeds from southeast Canada and [[Maine]] south through eastern Texas and east to northern Florida. It winters from southern Ontario east to southern Maine and south to the Gulf coast and Florida.<ref name="Gov"/>
*''[[Western red-tailed hawk|B. j. calurus]]''<ref name="SibleySsp"/> breeds from central interior [[Alaska]], through western Canada south to Baja California. It winters from southwestern [[British Columbia]] southwest to [[Guatemala]] and northern [[Nicaragua]].<ref name="Gov"/> Paler individuals of northern Mexico may lack the dark wing marking.<ref name="H&W">{{cite book |last1=Howell|first1=Steve N. G.|first2=Sophie|last2=Webb |title=A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1995 |isbn=0-19-854012-4}}</ref>
*''[[Central American red-tailed hawk|B. j. costaricensis]]'' is resident from [[Nicaragua]] to [[Panama]]. This subspecies is dark brown above with cinnamon flanks, wing linings and sides, and some birds have rufous underparts. The chest is much less heavily streaked than in northern migrants (''B. j. calurus'') to Central America.
*''[[Southwestern red-tailed hawk|B. j. fuertesi]]''<ref name="SibleySsp"/> breeds from northern [[Chihuahua (state)|Chihuahua]] to southern Texas. It winters in [[Arizona]], [[New Mexico]], and southern [[Louisiana]].<ref name="Gov"/> The belly is unstreaked or only lightly streaked, and the tail is pale.
*''[[Tres Marias red-tailed hawk|B. j. fumosus]]'', [[Islas Marías]], Mexico
*''[[Mexican Highlands red-tailed hawk|B. j. hadropus]]'', Mexican Highlands
*''[[Harlan's hawk|B. j. harlani]]'',<ref name="SibleySsp"/> is markedly different from all other red-tails. In both color morphs, the plumage is blackish and white, lacking warm tones (save the tail). The tail may be reddish, dusky, whitish, or gray and can be longitudinally streaked, mottled, or barred. Shorter primaries result in wingtips that don't reach the tail in perched birds. It breeds in Alaska and northwestern Canada and winters from [[Nebraska]] and [[Kansas]] to Texas and northern [[Louisiana]].<ref name="Gov"/> This population may well be a separate species.
*''[[Red-tailed hawk (kemsiesi)|B. j. kemsiesi]]'' is a dark subspecies resident from [[Chiapas]] to [[Nicaragua]]. The dark wing marking may not be distinct in paler birds.<ref name="H&W"/>
*''[[Krider's red-tailed hawk|B. j. kriderii]]''<ref name="SibleySsp"/> is paler than other red-tails, especially on the head; the tail may be pinkish or white. In the breeding season, it occurs from southern Alberta, southern Saskatchewan, southern Manitoba, and extreme western Ontario south to south-central Montana, Wyoming, western Nebraska, and western Minnesota. In winter, it occurs from South Dakota and southern Minnesota south to Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Louisiana.<ref name="Gov"/>
*''[[Socorro red-tailed hawk|B. j. socorroensis]]'', [[Socorro Island]], Mexico
*''[[Cuban red-tailed hawk|B. j. solitudinus]]'', Bahamas and Cuba
*''[[Florida red-tailed hawk|B. j. umbrinus]]'' occurs year-round in peninsular Florida north to [[Tampa Bay]] and the Kissimmee Prairie.<ref name="Gov"/> It is similar in appearance to ''calurus''.

==Description==
{{Easy CSS image crop|Image=Red-taiied Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) dark morph (16850260076).jpg|desired_width=250|align=right|caption=In flight, showing the red tail|crop_left_perc=20|crop_right_perc=20|crop_top_perc=5|crop_bottom_perc=5}}[[File:Hawk hovers.ogv|thumb|Red-tailed hawk hovers in the wind]]

The red-tailed hawk is [[sexual dimorphism|sexually dimorphic]] in size, as females are up to 25% larger than males.<ref name="ADW"/> As is typical in large raptors, frequently reported mean body mass for red-tailed hawks is somewhat higher than expansive research reveals.<ref name=Hull>{{Cite journal |pmid=18208488 |year=2008 |last1=Hull |first1=J. M. |title=Landscape characteristics influence morphological and genetic differentiation in a widespread raptor (''Buteo jamaicensis'') |journal=Molecular Ecology |volume=17 |issue=3 |pages=810–824 |last2=Hull |first2=A. C. |last3=Sacks |first3=B. N. |last4=Smith |first4=J. P. |last5=Ernest |first5=H. B. .1365-294X.2007.03632.x |doi=10.1111/j.1365-294X.2007.03632.x |bibcode=2008MolEc..17..810H }}</ref> Part of this weight is highly seasonally variable and due to clinal variation, male red-tailed hawks may weigh from {{convert|690|to|1300|g|lb|abbr=on}} and females between {{convert|900|and|2000|g|lb|abbr=on}}. However, research from nine studies occurring at migration sites in the [[United States]] and two breeding studies, one from the smallest race in [[Puerto Rico]], the other from larger races in [[Wisconsin]], show that males weigh a mean of {{convert|837|g|lb|abbr=on}} and females weigh a mean of {{convert|1040.7|g|lb|abbr=on}}, about 15% lighter than prior species-wide published weights.<ref name=Hull/><ref name=Preston/><ref name=Snyder>{{cite journal |last1=Snyder |first1=Noel F. R. |last2=Wiley |first2=James W. |year=1976 |url=http://globalraptors.org/grin/researchers/uploads/470/snyder_%26_wiley_1976.pdf |title=Sexual size dimorphism in hawks and owls of North America |journal=Ornithological Monographs |issue=20 |pages=i–vi, 1–96 |archive-date=20 October 2017 |access-date=20 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020084150/http://globalraptors.org/grin/researchers/uploads/470/snyder_%26_wiley_1976.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> The heaviest surveyed weights came from migrants in [[Cape May, New Jersey]], where females weighed a mean of {{convert|1278|g|lb|abbr=on}}, males a mean of {{convert|990.8|g|lb|abbr=on}}.<ref name=Preston/> The lightest were from the breeding population in forest openings of [[Puerto Rico]], where the females and males weighed an average of {{convert|1023|g|lb|abbr=on}} and {{convert|795|g|lb|abbr=on}}, respectively, also the highest size sexual dimorphism in the species. Size variation in body mass reveals that the red-tailed hawks typically vary only a modest amount; racial variation in average weights of [[great horned owl]]s show that mean body mass is nearly twice (the heaviest race is about 36% heavier than the lightest known race on average) as variable as that of the hawk (where the heaviest race is only just over 18% heavier on average than the lightest).<ref name=Preston/><ref name=Snyder/><ref name="CRC">{{cite book |chapter=Body Masses of Birds of the World. ''Buteo jamaicensis'' |title=CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses |editor-last=Dunning |editor-first=John B., Jr. |publisher=CRC Press |year=1992 |isbn=978-0-8493-4258-5}}</ref> Males can reportedly measure {{convert|45|to|60|cm|in|abbr=on}} in total length, females measuring {{convert|48|to|65|cm|abbr=on}} long. The wingspan can range from {{convert|105|to|141|cm|in|abbr=on}} and, in the standard scientific method of measuring wing size, the [[Wing chord (biology)|wing chord]] is {{convert|325.1|-|444.5|mm|in|abbr=on}} long. The tail measures {{convert|188|to|258.7|mm|in|abbr=on}} in length.<ref name=RaptorsWorld>{{cite book |chapter=Red-tailed Hawk |title=Raptors of the World |last1=Ferguson-Lees |first1=James |last2=Christie |first2=David A. |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |year=2001 |isbn=0-618-12762-3}}</ref><ref>[http://www.arkive.org/red-tailed-hawk/buteo-jamaicensis/#text=Facts |ARKive- Red-tailed Hawk videos, photos and facts] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120604154344/http://www.arkive.org/red-tailed-hawk/buteo-jamaicensis/#text=Facts |date=4 June 2012 }}. Arkive.org. Retrieved 22 August 2012.</ref> The middle toe (excluding talon) can range from {{convert|38.3|to|53.8|mm|in|abbr=on}}, with the hallux-claw (the talon of the rear toe, which has evolved to be the largest in accipitrids) measuring from {{convert|24.1|to|33.6|mm|in|abbr=on}} in length.<ref name=Hull/><ref name=Preston/>

{{Easy CSS image crop|Image=Red-tailed Hawk imported from iNaturalist photo 354788544 on 5 December 2024.jpg|desired_width=250|align=right|crop_left_perc=15|crop_right_perc=20|crop_bottom_perc=15|crop_top_perc=5|caption=[[Leucistic]] individual, in Kentucky}}

Red-tailed hawk [[plumage]] can be variable, depending on the [[subspecies]] and the region. These color variations are [[Polymorphism (biology)|morphs]], and are not related to [[molt]]ing. The western North American population, ''B. j. calurus'', is the most variable subspecies and has three color morphs: light, dark, and intermediate or rufus. The dark and intermediate morphs constitute 10–20% of the population.<ref name="Land"/>

Though the markings and hue vary across the subspecies, the basic appearance of the red-tailed hawk is consistent. Overall, this species is blocky and broad in shape and often heavier than other ''[[Buteo]]s'' of similar length.<ref name="RaptorsWorld"/> A whitish underbelly with a dark brown band across the belly, formed by horizontal streaks in [[feather]] patterning, is present in most color variations. Especially in younger birds, the underside may be otherwise covered with dark brown spotting. The red tail, which gives this species its name, is uniformly brick-red above and light buff-orange below.<ref name="RaptorsWorld"/><ref name="USGS"/> The [[beak|bill]] is short and dark, in the hooked shape characteristic of [[Bird of prey|raptors]], and the head can sometimes appear small in size against the thick body frame.<ref name="RaptorsWorld"/> They have relatively short, broad tails and thick, chunky wings.<ref name="USGS">{{cite web|url=https://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/Infocenter/i3370id.html|title=''Buteo jamaicensis''|publisher=U.S. Geological Survey|access-date=5 June 2007|archive-date=6 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106032548/http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/Infocenter/i3370id.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[cere]], the legs, and the feet of the red-tailed hawk are all yellow.<ref name="ADW">{{cite web |url=https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Buteo_jamaicensis/ |last1=Dewey |first1=T. |first2=D. |last2=Arnold |title=''Buteo jamaicensis''|access-date=5 June 2007 |publisher=Animal Diversity Web}}</ref>

Adults are usually easy to identify by their red tail that ends in a single black band. Immature birds are more difficult to identify, and their tail is patterned with about six darker bars. Their flight silhouette gives important clues for identification, and at close range, their yellowish [[Iris (anatomy)|irises]] are characteristic. As the bird attains full maturity over the course of 3–4 years, the iris slowly darkens into a reddish-brown hue.<ref name="USGS"/><ref>{{cite web |last1=Tallman |first1=Dan |title=Red-tailed Hawk identification |url=https://sdou.org/Documents/RTHA.pdf |website=sdou.org |publisher=South Dakota Ornithologists' Union |access-date=31 August 2025}}</ref>

==Distribution and ecology==

[[File:Buteo jamaicensis -Pillar Point Harbor, California, USA-8.jpg|thumb|right|Immature in California]]
[[File:Red Tailed Hawk Stare.jpg|thumb|A juvenile red-tailed hawk]]

The red-tailed hawk is one of the most common<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Scott |editor1-first=Shirley L. |title=Field Guide to the Birds of North America |date=1987 |publisher=[[National Geographic Society]] |isbn=0-87044-692-4 |pages=194–195 |edition=Second}}</ref> and most widely distributed hawks in the Americas. It breeds from central [[Alaska]], the [[Yukon]], and the [[Northwest Territories]] east to southern [[Quebec]] and the [[Maritime Provinces]] of Canada, and south to Florida, the [[West Indies]], and Central America. The winter range stretches from southern Canada south throughout the remainder of the breeding range.<ref name="Gov"/>

Its preferred habitat is mixed forest and field, with high bluffs or trees that may be used as perch sites. It occupies a wide range of [[Habitat (ecology)|habitats]] and altitudes, including deserts, grasslands, coastal regions, mountains, foothills, [[coniferous]] and [[deciduous]] woodlands, [[tropical rainforest]]s, [[Field (agriculture)|agricultural fields]] and urban areas.<ref name=IUCN/> It is second only to the [[peregrine falcon]] in the use of diverse habitats in North America.<ref name="SF">{{cite web |last=Garrigues |first=Jeff |title=Biogeography of Red-tailed hawk |publisher=San Francisco State University, Department of Geography |access-date=28 June 2007 |url=http://bss.sfsu.edu/holzman/courses/Fall00Projects/redtailedhawk.html}}</ref> It lives throughout the North American continent, except in areas of unbroken forest or the high Arctic.<ref name="Land">{{cite web |url=http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/id/special_areas/birds_of_prey_nca.Par.63269.File.dat/RedTailedHawk_r.pdf|title=Red-tailed Hawk |publisher=Bureau of Land Management |access-date=12 January 2010}}</ref>

Adult hawks have few natural predators, although their eggs and chicks are preyed on by a variety of organisms. The red-tailed hawk is widespread in North America,<ref name="SF"/> partially due to historic settlement patterns, which have benefited it. The clearing of forests in the Northeast created hunting areas, while the preservation of [[woodlot]]s left the species with viable nest sites. The increase in trees throughout the Great Plains during the past century due to fire suppression and tree planting facilitated the western range expansion of the red-tailed hawk<ref>{{cite journal |author=Houston, S. |year=1983|title=Trees and the Red-tailed Hawk in southern Saskatchewan|journal=Blue Jay |volume=41|issue=2 |pages=99–109 |doi=10.29173/bluejay4484 |doi-access=free }}</ref> as well as range expansions of many other species of birds.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Livezey KB|year=2009|title=Range expansion of Barred Owls, part I: chronology and distribution|journal=American Midland Naturalist |volume=161|issue=1 |pages=49–56|jstor=20491416 |doi=10.1674/0003-0031-161.1.49}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|author=Livezey, K.B. |year=2009 |title=Range expansion of Barred Owls, part 2: facilitating ecological changes|journal=American Midland Naturalist |volume=161 |issue=2|pages=323–349|jstor=20491442|doi=10.1674/0003-0031-161.2.323}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|author=Livezey, K.B. |year=2010|title=Killing barred owls to help spotted owls II: implications for many other range-expanding species|journal=Northwestern Naturalist |volume=91|issue=3|pages=251–270 |jstor=40983223 |doi=10.1898/NWN09-38.1}}</ref> The construction of highways with [[utility pole]]s alongside treeless medians provided perfect habitat for perch-hunting. Unlike some other raptors, the red-tailed hawk are seemingly unfazed by considerable human activity and can nest and live in close proximity to large numbers of humans.<ref name="RaptorsWorld"/> Thus, the species can also be found in cities, where common prey such as [[rock pigeon]]s and [[brown rat]]s may support their populations.<ref name="Avian">{{cite web |url=http://www.sky-hunters.org/RTHA.pdf |title=Red-tailed Hawk |publisher=Sky-hunters.org |access-date=16 June 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517111759/http://www.sky-hunters.org/RTHA.pdf |archive-date=17 May 2008}}</ref> One famous urban red-tailed hawk, known as "[[Pale Male]]", became the subject of a non-fiction book, ''Red-Tails in Love: A Wildlife Drama in Central Park'', and is the first known red-tail in decades to successfully nest and raise young in the crowded [[New York City]] borough of [[Manhattan]].<ref>[https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/pale-male/introduction/2422/ Pale Male – Introduction – Red-tailed Hawk in New York City |Nature]. PBS (May 2004). Retrieved 22 August 2012.</ref><ref name="CBS">{{cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/07/10/sunday/main562715.shtml|publisher=CBS|last=Geist|first=Bill|title=In Love With a Hawk|access-date=17 June 2007 |date=10 July 2003}}</ref><ref>[http://www.palemale.com/ Pale Male – the Central Park Red Tail Hawk] website</ref>

Since red-tailed hawks are relatively specialized feeders, they harbor fewer [[helminth]] parasitic worms than species like the broad-winged hawk, which have a wider diet.<ref>Kinsella, John M.; Foster, Garry W.; and Forrester, Donald J. (2024) "Parasitic Helminths of Six Species of Hawks and Falcons in Florida," ''Journal of Raptor Research'': Vol. 29 : Iss. 2, Article 6. Available at: https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/jrr/vol29/iss2/</ref>
Hawks in urban areas are threatened by the use of rat traps and poisoned bait to kill rodents. This generally consists of [[warfarin ]] cookies which induce internal bleeding in rats and mice, and a hawk that ingests rodents who have consumed rat poison can itself be affected.<ref>[https://www.allaboutbirds.org/raptors-and-rat-poison/ "Raptors and Rat Poison"]. ''allaboutbirds.org''. 15 July 2015.</ref>

==Behavior==

===Flight===

[[File:Red-tailed Hawk (Audubon).jpg|thumb|upright|Red-tailed hawks engaging in an inflight battle over prey. Painted by [[John James Audubon]].]]

In flight, this hawk soars with wings often in a slight [[dihedral angle|dihedral]], flapping as little as possible to conserve energy. Active flight is slow and deliberate, with deep wing beats. In wind, it occasionally hovers on beating wings and remains stationary above the ground.<ref name="Land"/> When soaring or flapping its wings, it typically travels from 32 to {{convert|64|km/h|mi/h|abbr=on}}, but when diving may exceed {{convert|190|km/h|mi/h|abbr=on}}.<ref name="NY">{{cite web |url=http://www.nysite.com/nature/fauna/redhawk.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/19970627092314/http://www.nysite.com/nature/fauna/redhawk.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 June 1997|author=Day, Leslie |publisher=[[79th Street Boat Basin]] Flora and Fauna Society |title=The City Naturalist – Red Tailed Hawk |access-date=17 June 2007}}</ref>

===Vocalization===

The cry of the red-tailed hawk is a two to three second hoarse, rasping scream, described as ''kree-eee-ar'',<ref name="Avian"/> that begins at a high pitch and slurs downward.<ref name="NY"/> This cry is often described as sounding similar to a steam whistle.<ref name="ADW"/> The red-tailed hawk frequently vocalizes while hunting or soaring, but vocalizes loudest in annoyance or anger, in response to a predator or a rival hawk's intrusion into its territory.<ref name="Avian"/> At close range, it makes a croaking "guh-runk".<ref name="Oregon">{{cite web|url=http://www.oregonzoo.org/Cards/BirdsOfPrey/redtailedhawk.htm|publisher=[[Oregon Zoo]]|title=Red-Tailed Hawk|access-date=16 June 2007|archive-date=19 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120319200255/http://www.oregonzoo.org/Cards/BirdsOfPrey/redtailedhawk.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> Young hawks may utter a wailing ''klee-uk'' food cry when parents leave the nest.<ref name="Hawk Trust">{{cite web|url=http://www.hawk-conservancy.org/priors/redtail.shtml|publisher=The Hawk Conservancy Trust|title=Red-tailed Hawk – Buteo jamaicensis|access-date=5 June 2007}}</ref> The fierce, screaming cry of the red-tailed hawk is frequently used as a generic raptor sound effect in television shows and other media, even if the bird featured is not a red-tailed hawk.<ref name="SDZoo">{{cite web|url=http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-red_tailed_hawk.html|publisher=[[San Diego Zoo]]|title=San Diego Zoo's Animal Bytes: Red-Tailed Hawk|access-date=3 March 2012}}</ref>

===Diet===
[[File:Red-tailed Hawk imported from iNaturalist photo 348570372 on 5 December 2024 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Regurgitating a [[Pellet (ornithology)|pellet]]]]
The red-tailed hawk preys on small mammals such as rodents and lagomorphs, but they will also opportunistically consume birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians. Prey varies with regional and seasonal availability, but usually centers on [[rodent]]s, comprising up to 85% of a hawk's diet.<ref name="ADW"/> Most commonly reported prey types include [[Mouse|mice]], including both native ''[[Peromyscus]]'' species and [[House mouse|house mice]]; [[Pocket gopher|gophers]], [[vole]]s, [[chipmunk]]s, [[ground squirrel]]s and [[tree squirrel]]s.<ref name="Springer">{{cite journal |first1=Mark Andrew |last1=Springer |first2=John Stephen |last2=Kirkley |year=1978 |title=Inter and Intraspecific interactions between Red-Tailed Hawks and Great Horned Owls in Central Ohio |journal=The Ohio Journal of Science |volume=78 |issue=6 |pages=323–328 |hdl=1811/22576 |url=http://hdl.handle.net/1811/22576}}</ref><ref name="r1">{{cite journal |first1=Carl D. |last1=Marti |first2=Michael N. |last2=Kochert |year=1995 |title=Are Red-tailed Hawks and Great Horned Owls diurnal–nocturnal dietary counterparts? |journal=[[Wilson Bulletin]] |volume=107 |issue=4 |pages=615–628 |url=http://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/wilson/v107n04/p0615-p0628.pdf |jstor=4163598}}</ref> Additional prey (listed in descending likelihood of predation) include [[lagomorph]]s, [[shrew]]s, [[bat]]s,<ref>{{cite journal |author=Mikula, P., Morelli, F., Lučan, R. K., Jones, D. N., Tryjanowski, P. |year=2016 |title=Bats as prey of diurnal birds: a global perspective |journal=Mammal Review |volume=46 |issue=3 |page=160 |doi=10.1111/mam.12060 |bibcode=2016MamRv..46..160M }}</ref> [[pigeon]]s, [[quail]], [[corvid]]s, [[waterfowl]], other [[Birds of prey|raptors]], [[reptile]]s, [[fish]], [[crustacean]]s, [[insect]]s and [[earthworm]]s.<ref name="RaptorsWorld"/> Where found in [[Caribbean]] islands, red-tailed hawks prey mostly on [[reptile]]s such as [[snake]]s and [[lizard]]s, since these are perhaps the most predominant native land animals of that region.<ref name="RaptorsWorld"/> Prey specimens can range to as small a size as [[beetle]]s and worms. However, they can also prey on [[marmot]]s, [[white-tailed jackrabbit]]s, or female [[wild turkey]], all of which are at least easily double the weight of most red-tails.<ref name="RaptorsWorld"/> Hawks will eat [[carrion]] if need be, although it is not a preferred food source. During winter in captivity, an average red-tail will eat about {{Convert|135|g|abbr=on}} daily.<ref name="Hawk Trust"/>

The red-tailed hawk commonly employs one of two hunting techniques. Often, they scan for prey activity from an elevated perch site, swooping down from the perch to seize the prey. They also watch for prey while flying, either capturing a bird in flight or pursuing prey on the ground until they can pin them down in their talons.<ref name="RaptorsWorld"/> Red-tailed hawks, like some other raptors, have been observed to hunt in pairs. This may consist of stalking opposites sides of a tree, in order to surround a tree squirrel and almost inevitably drive the rodent to be captured by one after being flushed by the other hawk.<ref name=aablh /> They are opportunistically attracted to conspicuous meals, such as displaying male [[red-winged blackbird]]s.<ref name="ADW"/><gallery mode="packed" heights="140">
File:Red-tailed Hawk imported from iNaturalist photo 3663761 on 2 December 2024.jpg|Hunting a [[bullsnake]]
File:Redtailedhawkeatingsquirrel07.jpg|Juvenile eating a squirrel
</gallery>[[File:Red-tailed Hawk Eating a Rodent 1080p 60fps.ogv|thumb|thumbtime=12|Red-tailed hawk eating a rodent]]

The [[great horned owl]] occupies a similar [[ecological niche]] nocturnally to the red-tail, taking similar prey. Competition may occur between the hawk and [[owl]] species during twilight, although the differing nesting season and activity times usually results in a lack of direct competition. Although the red-tail's prey is on average larger (due in part to the scarcity of diurnal [[squirrel]]s in the owl's diet),<ref name="r1"/> the owl is an occasional predator of red-tailed hawks themselves, of any age, while the hawks are not known to predate adult great horned owls.<ref name="Springer"/> Other competitors include other large ''[[Buteo]]'' species such as [[Swainson's hawk]]s and [[rough-legged hawk]]s, as well as the [[northern goshawk]], since prey and foraging methods of these species occasionally overlap.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://digital-desert.com/wildlife/red-tailed-hawk.html |title=Red-tailed Hawk |work=Desert Wildlife |publisher=Digital-Desert |author=Feller, Walter |access-date=16 May 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |first1=Angela E. |last1=Gatto|first2=Teryl G. |last2=Grubb |first3=Carol L. |last3=Chambers |year=2006 |title=Red-tailed Hawk dietary overlap with Northern Goshawks on the Kaibab Plateau, Arizona |journal=Journal of Raptor Research |volume=39 |issue=4 |pages=439–444 |url=http://www.rmrs.nau.edu/publications/GattoEtal/GattoEtal.pdf }}</ref>
Hawks have been observed following [[American badger]]s to capture prey they flush and the two are considered potential competitors.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Patrick K. Devers |author2=Kiana Koenen |author3=Paul R. Krausman |year=2004 |title=Interspecific interactions between badgers and red-tailed hawks in the Sonoran Desert, southwestern Arizona |journal=The Southwestern Naturalist |volume=49 |issue=1 |pages=109–111 |doi=10.1894/0038-4909(2004)049<0109:IIBBAR>2.0.CO;2 |jstor=3672278}}</ref> Competition over carcasses may occur with [[American crow]]s, and several crows working together can displace a hawk.<ref>{{cite journal |first=William|last=Langley |year=2001 |title=Competition between American crows and red-tailed hawks for a carcass: flock advantage |journal=[[Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science]] |volume=104 |issue=1–2 |pages=28–30 |doi=10.1660/0022-8443(2001)104[0028:CBACAR]2.0.CO;2 |jstor=3628087}}</ref> Larger raptors, such as [[eagle]]s and [[ferruginous hawk]]s, may steal hawk kills.<ref name="ADW"/>

===Reproduction===

[[File:Courting redtails.JPG|thumb|upright|Territorial adult chasing away an immature red-tailed hawk]]

The red-tailed hawk reaches [[sexual maturity]] at two years of age. It is [[monogamous]], mating with the same individual for many years. In general, the red-tailed hawk will only take a new mate when its original mate dies.<ref name="Terres">{{cite book |last=Terres |first=John K. |authorlink=John Kenneth Terres |title=The Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds |publisher=Knopf |year=1980 |location=New York |page=1109 |isbn=0-394-46651-9 }}</ref> The same nesting territory may be defended by the pair for years. During courtship, the male and female fly in wide circles while uttering shrill cries. The male performs aerial displays, diving steeply, and then climbing again. After repeating this display several times, he sometimes grasps her [[wikt:Special:Search/talon|talons]] briefly with his own. Courtship flights can last 10 minutes or more. Copulation often follows courtship flight sequences, although copulation frequently occurs in the absence of courtship flights.<ref name="Preston"/><ref name="Luttich">{{cite journal |last1=Luttich |first1=Stuart N. |last2=Keith |first2=Lloyd B. |title=Population Dynamics of the Red-Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) at Rochester, Alberta |journal=The Auk |volume=88 |issue=1 |date=1971 |doi=10.2307/4083962 |doi-access=free |pages=75–87 |jstor=4083962 |url=https://academic.oup.com/auk/article-pdf/88/1/75/28131280/auk0075.pdf}}</ref>

In copulation, the female, when perched, tilts forward, allowing the male to land with his feet lodged on her horizontal back. The female twists and moves her tail feathers to one side, while the mounted male twists his cloacal opening around the female's cloaca. Copulation lasts 5 to 10 seconds and during pre-nesting courtship in late winter or early spring can occur numerous times each day.<ref name="Oiseaux">{{cite web|url=http://www.oiseaux.net/oiseaux/accipitriformes/red-tailed.hawk.html|title=''Buteo jamaicensis'' |publisher=Oiseaux.net |access-date=7 June 2007}}</ref>

In the same period, the pair constructs a stick [[bird nest|nest]] in a large tree {{convert|4|to|21|m|ft|abbr=on}} off the ground or on a cliff ledge {{Convert|35|m|ft|abbr=on}} or higher above the ground, or may nest on man-made structures. The nest is generally {{Convert|71|to|97|cm|abbr=on}} in diameter and can be up to {{Convert|90|cm|ft|abbr=on}} tall. The nest is constructed of twigs, and lined with [[Bark (botany)|bark]], pine needles, [[corn cob]]s, husks, stalks, [[aspen]] catkins, or other plant lining matter.<ref name="Preston">{{citation |last1=Preston |first1=C. R. |last2=Beane |first2=R. D. |year=2009 |title=The Birds of North America: Red-tailed Hawk (''Buteo jamaicensis'' |journal=The Birds of North America Online |doi=10.2173/bna.52}}</ref>

Great horned owls compete with the red-tailed hawk for nest sites. Each species has been known to kill the young and destroy the eggs of the other, but in general, both species nest in adjacent or confluent territories without conflict. Great horned owls are incapable of constructing nests and typically expropriate existing red-tail nests. Great horned owls begin nesting behaviors much earlier than red-tails, often as early as December. Red-tails are therefore adapted to constructing new nests when a previous year's nest has been overtaken by owls or otherwise lost. New nests are typically within a kilometer or less of the previous nest. Often, a new nest is only a few hundred meters or less from a previous one. Being a large predator, most predation of these hawks occurs with eggs and nestlings, which are taken by [[owl]]s, [[corvid]]s and [[raccoon]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/red-tailed_hawk.htm |title=Red-tailed Hawk, ''Buteo jamaicensis'' |work=Study of Northern Virginia Ecology |publisher=[[Fairfax County Public Schools]] |access-date=16 May 2011 |archive-date=6 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106032547/http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/red-tailed_hawk.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:RT hawks.jpg|thumb|Parent in nest with chicks]]

A clutch of one to five [[egg]]s is laid in spring, with an egg roughly every second day. They are [[Avian incubation|incubated]] by both parents. The [[altricial]] nestlings emerge from the eggs over 2 to 4 days. The female broods them while the male provides most of the food to the female. The female feeds the young, tearing it into manageable pieces for them. After 42 to 46 days, the young start to leave the nest. [[fledge|Fledging]], including learning to fly and hunt, takes some 10 weeks. About 6 to 7 weeks after fledging, the young begin to capture their own prey.<ref name="ADW"/>

=== Migration ===

{{main|Migration of the red-tailed hawk}}

The species is a partial migrant, as in most of their range in Canada and Alaska, they almost entirely vacate their breeding grounds.<ref name="Ferguson-Lees">{{cite book |year=2001 |title=Raptors of the World | publisher=[[Helm Identification Guides|Christopher Helm]] |location=London |isbn=978-0-7136-8026-3 |author1=Ferguson-Lees, J. |author2=Christie, D.}}</ref><ref name="Preston"/> In coastal areas of the north, however, such as in the [[Pacific Northwest]]  to southern Alaska and in [[Nova Scotia]] on the Atlantic, they do not usually migrate. The birds tend to be territorial during winter but may shift ranges whenever food requirements demand it.<ref name=Palmer>Palmer, R. S., ed. (1988). ''Handbook of North American birds''. Volume 5 Diurnal Raptors (part 2).</ref> Autumn hawk watches in Ontario, Quebec, and the northern United States have recorded 4,500–8,900 red-tailed hawks migrating through, with records of up to 15,000 in a season at Hawk Ridge in [[Duluth, Minnesota]].<ref name="Ferguson-Lees" /><ref>{{cite journal|author=Farmer, C. J., Bell, R. J., Drolet, B., Goodrich, L. J., Greenstone, E., Grove, D., & Sodergren, J. |year=2008|url=http://www.rpi-project.org/publications/TP-08.pdf |title=Trends in autumn counts of migratory raptors in northeastern North America, 1974–2004|journal=Series in Ornithology|volume=3|pages=179–215}}</ref>
Unlike some other ''Buteo'' species, such as [[Swainson's hawk]]s and [[broad-winged hawk]]s, red-tailed hawks do not usually migrate in groups, instead passing by one-by-one, and only migrate on days when winds are favorable.<ref name="Ferguson-Lees" /><ref name="Palmer" /> Most migrants do not move past southern Mexico in late autumn.<ref name="Ferguson-Lees" /><ref name="Preston" /><ref>{{cite journal|author=Castaño R, A. M. & Colorado G.J. |year=2002|title=First records of red-tailed hawk ''Buteo jamaicensis'' in Colombia|journal=Cotinga |volume= 18|pages= 102}}</ref> Spring northward movements may commence as early as late February, with peak numbers usually occurring in late March and early April. Seasonal counts may include up to 19,000 red-tails in spring at Derby Hill hawk watch, in [[Oswego, New York]]; sometimes more than 5,000 have been recorded in a day there.<ref name="Ferguson-Lees" /><ref>{{cite journal|author=Haugh, J. R., & Cade, T. J. |year=1966|title=The spring hawk migration around the southeastern shore of Lake Ontario|journal= The Wilson Bulletin|volume=78|issue=1 |pages= 88–110|jstor=4159454|url=https://sora.unm.edu/node/128271}}</ref>

==Relationship with humans==

{{hatnote|See also [[#Distribution and habitat|§ Distribution and habitat]], for habitat relationships to human settlement patterns.}}

===Use in falconry===

The red-tailed hawk is a popular bird in [[falconry]], particularly in the United States where the sport of falconry is tightly regulated and where red-tailed hawks are both widely available and allowed to novice falconers. Red-tailed hawks are highly tameable and trainable, with a more social disposition than all other falcons or hawks other than the [[Harris's hawk]].<ref>Beebe, Frank (1984). ''A Falconry Manual''. Hancock House Publishers, {{ISBN|0-88839-978-2}}.</ref>  They are also long lived and highly disease resistant, allowing a falconer to maintain a red-tailed hawk as a hunting companion for many years.  There are fewer than 5,000 falconers in the United States, so despite their popularity any effect on the red-tailed hawk population, estimated to be about one million in the United States, is negligible.<ref name="Federal Register">{{cite web |url=http://www.fws.gov/policy/library/05-2378.html |publisher=Department of the Interior: Fish and Wildlife Service |title=Migratory Bird Permits; Changes in the Regulations Governing Falconry; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for Falconry and Raptor Propagation Activities; Proposed Rule and Notice |access-date=14 June 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311204705/http://www.fws.gov/policy/library/05-2378.html |archive-date=11 March 2007}}</ref>

Not being as swift as [[falcon]]s or [[accipiter]]s, red-tailed hawks are not the most effective of bird hawks and are usually used against ground game such as rabbits and squirrels.  However,  some individuals may learn to ambush birds on the ground with a swift surprise approach and capture them before they can accelerate to full speed and escape.  Some have even learned to use a falcon-like diving stoop to capture challenging game such as pheasants.  In the course of a typical hunt, a falconer using a red-tailed hawk most commonly releases the hawk and allows it to perch in a tree or other high vantage point. The falconer, who may be aided by a dog, then attempts to [[Hunting#Methods|flush]] prey by stirring up ground cover. A well-trained red-tailed hawk will follow the falconer and dog, realizing that their activities produce opportunities to catch game. Once a raptor catches game, it does not bring it back to the falconer. Instead, the falconer must locate the bird and its captured prey, "make in" (carefully approach) and trade the bird its kill in exchange for a piece of offered meat.<ref name="McGranaghan">{{cite book |last=McGranaghan |first=Liam J. |title=The Red-Tailed Hawk: A Complete Guide to Training and Hunting North America's Most Versatile Game Hawk |publisher=Western Sporting Publications |year=2001 |page=181 |isbn=0-9709571-0-6}}</ref>

===Feathers and Native American use===

[[File:Red-Tailed Hawk (29478965112).jpg|thumb|Red-tailed hawk in [[Oregon]] ]]

The [[feather]]s and other parts of the red-tailed hawk are considered [[sacred]] to many American [[indigenous peoples|indigenous people]] and, like the feathers of the [[bald eagle]] and [[golden eagle]], are sometimes used in religious ceremonies and found adorning the [[regalia]] of many [[Native Americans in the United States]]; these parts, most especially their distinctive tail feathers, are a popular item in the Native American community.<ref name="Pequot">{{cite journal |url=http://www.pequotmuseum.org/Home/CrossPaths/CrossPathsSpring2003/TheSacredMessengers.htm |last=Collier |first=Julie |title=The Sacred Messengers |journal=Cross Paths |date=Spring 2003|volume=6 |issue=1 |publisher=Mashantucket Pequot Museum |access-date=20 June 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080124145720/http://www.pequotmuseum.org/Home/CrossPaths/CrossPathsSpring2003/TheSacredMessengers.htm |archive-date=24 January 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
As with the other two species, the feathers and parts of the red-tailed hawk are regulated by the [[eagle feather law]],<ref name="Title 50">{{cite web |url=http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title50/50cfr22_main_02.tpl
|title=TITLE 50—Wildlife and Fisheries |publisher=Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (e-CFR) |access-date=20 June 2007}}</ref> which governs the possession of feathers and parts of migratory birds.<ref name="Feathers">{{cite web |url=http://www.pequotmuseum.org/Home/CrossPaths/CrossPathsSpring2003/FeatherLaw.htm |last=Cook |first=Stephen |title=Feather Law |publisher=Mashantucket Pequot Museum |access-date=20 June 2007 |archive-date=5 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120805153601/http://www.pequotmuseum.org/Home/CrossPaths/CrossPathsSpring2003/FeatherLaw.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref>{{-}}

==References==

{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{wikisource|Ornithological Biography/Volume 1/Red-tailed Hawk|"The Red-tailed Hawk" by John James Audubon}}
{{wikisource|Ornithological Biography/Volume 1/Black Warrior|"The Black Warrior, ''Falco Harlani''" by John James Audubon}}

*[https://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/Infocenter/i3370id.html Red-tailed hawk – ''Buteo jamaicensis''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106032548/http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/Infocenter/i3370id.html |date=6 January 2016 }} – USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
* [http://www.library.fordham.edu/whatsnew/hawks.html Red-tailed hawk Pictures] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111201091647/http://www.library.fordham.edu/whatsnew/hawks.html |date=1 December 2011 }} at Fordham University
* [http://eol.org/pages/1049057/ "Red-tailed hawk" in ''The Encyclopedia of Life'']
* {{InternetBirdCollection|red-tailed-hawk-buteo-jamaicensis|Red-tailed hawk}}
* {{VIREO|Red-tailed+hawk|Red-tailed hawk}}

===Historical works===

* John James Audubon. [http://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/33239059 The Red-tailed Hawk] in ''Ornithological Biography'' vol. 1 (1831), pp.&nbsp;265–272 (also on WikiSource, see right). [http://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/40382980 The Red-tailed Buzzard] in ''The Birds of America'' vol. 1 (1840), pp.&nbsp;32–38. [The 1840 edition appears to be a combination of the two companion works from early 1830s: the plates from ''Birds of America'' and the descriptions from ''Ornithological Biography''.]
* John James Audubon. [http://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/33239235 The Black Warrior] in ''Ornithological Biography'' vol. 1 (1831), pp.&nbsp;441–443 (also on WikiSource, see right). [http://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/40382988 Harlan's Buzzard] in ''The Birds of America'' vol. 1 (1840), pp.&nbsp;38–40.

{{Buteoninae}}

{{taxonbar}}

[[Category:Birds described in 1788]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Birds of prey of North America]]
[[Category:Buteo]]
[[Category:Falconry]]
[[Category:Hawks]]
[[Category:Sound effects]]
[[Category:Fauna of the San Francisco Bay Area]]
[[Category:Apex predators]]
[[Category:Least concern biota of the United States]]