Scientific Name:   Buteo jamaicensis

Length:   Male: 17.7-22.1 in (45-56 cm) - Female: 19.7-25.6 in (50-65 cm)

Weight:   Male: 24.3-45.9 oz (690-1300 g) - Female: 31.8-51.5 oz (900-1460 g)

Wingspan:   44.9-52.4 in (114-133 cm)

Nest:   Usually in tree, up to 120' above ground; nest tree often taller than surrounding trees, also cliff ledges, giant cactus, or on artificial structures such as towers or buildings. It is a bulky bowl of sticks, lined with finer materials, often with leafy green branches added.

Eggs:   2-3, sometimes 4, rarely 1-5. Whitish, blotched with brown. Incubation is by both parents, 28-35 days.

Feeding Behavior:   The red-tailed hawk is carnivorous, and a highly opportunistic feeder. Nearly any small animal they encounter may be viewed as potential food. Their most common prey are small mammals such as rodents and rabbits, but they also consume birds, reptiles, fish, amphibians, and invertebrates. They hunt by watching from a high perch, then swooping down to capture prey in its talons.

Young:   Male brings most food, and female tears it into small pieces to feed to the young. After about 4-5 weeks, food is dropped in nest, and young feed on it themselves. Young leave the nest about 6-7 weeks after hatching, but not capable of strong flight for another 2 weeks or more.

Range:   The red-tailed hawk breeds from nearly north-central Alaska, the Yukon, and a considerable portion of the Northwest Territories, there reaching as far as a breeder as Inuvik, Mackenzie River Delta and the southern shores of Great Bear Lake and Great Slave Lake. In northern Canada, breeding red-tails continue to northern Saskatchewan and across to north-central Ontario east to central Quebec and the Maritime Provinces of Canada, and south continuously to Florida.

Brief Description:   Most adult red-tails have a dark-brown nape and upper head, which gives them a somewhat hooded appearance, while the throat can variably present a lighter brown "necklace". A whitish underbelly with a dark brown band across the belly, formed by horizontal streaks in feather patterning, is present in most color variations.