(Family Accipitridae/Buteo jamaicensis)
Nicknames: Chicken Hawk
Average Size: Wing span 43-56 inches, weight 1.5-3.3 lbs. Females are usually larger than males.
Distinguishing Characteristics: The red-tailed hawk is a rather large hawk with a generally cream-colored chest and underwing area, and an overall brown color on its back. Adults have a rust-colored tail (upper side only). The juveniles (1st year birds) have a brown tail with horzontal barring of a darker brown. Red-tailed hawks show a large individual variation in color, ranging from albino and other light morphs to an almost black morph (the “Harlan’s Hawk”).
Range: Found throughout most of North America except the extreme northen edge.
Habitat: Live in almost every North American habitat except dense forests and high Arctic. Very common on the plains and even found living in open spaces in large cities (Central Park in New York City, for example).
Primary Foods: Feed primarily on rodents and other small mammals, but red-tailed hawks are opportunistic feeders.
Breeding: Male and female often go through an elaborate courtship display together with aerial diving and climbing, and talon-grappling. Females typically lay 2 eggs in a stick nest high in a tree.
Other Behavior: In South Dakota and many other states, red-tailed hawks are one of the most common large birds seen sitting roadside on fenceposts and power poles. They often hunt along highway medians.
Common Human Encounters: Large hawks are often shot or poisoned because they are accused of killing livestock. These birds also are often hit by cars while hunting roadside or break wings when they hit power lines or fence wires.