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THE RED-TAILED HAWK
All good things must come to an end. The Who’s Flying Now series does just that with this issue of WREN. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading it as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it. My swan song? The Red-Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis).
This ferocious fellow is the most common and widespread hawk in North America. A bird of open country, it’s frequently seen perched atop utility poles while watching for unsuspecting rodents in the grass along the roadside.[1]
Interesting mating pattern
While courting, a pair of red-tailed hawks soars in wide circles at a high altitude. The male will dive steeply, and then shoot up again at nearly as steep an angle. He’ll repeat this maneuver several times before approaching the female from above, extending his legs and touching or grasping her briefly. The pair may grab onto one another, interlock their talons and spiral toward the ground,[2] like parachutists whose chutes failed to open.
Habitat, range, breeding
The red-tailed hawk is usually seen in grasslands or marshy-shrubby areas. However, it’s equally at home in deserts and forests, and ranges throughout North America as far north as central Alaska and northern Canada and as far south as mountainous Panama.[3] An opportunistic hunter — with eyesight 8 times more powerful than a human’s — its diet is comprised of small rodents such as rabbits, snakes and lizards. Where pheasants abound, they become the food of choice in spring and summer. Like all hawks, talons are its main weapon.[4]
These birds begin mating and nest-building in March and continue through May, accompanied, as mentioned, by spectacular aerial displays. Evidence exists that they mate for life. Nests are large, flat, and shallow, and built of sticks and twigs. Both males and females assist in nest building, placing them 35 to 75 feet high in the forks of sturdy trees. Nesting sites will be re-used from year to year; wind or rain damage being repaired as necessary.[5]
What to look for
The Buteos are the largest of 14 sub-species of Hawk. They’re broad-winged, broad-tailed, approximately 18 inches long, with a wingspan of 48 inches. Like most raptors, the female is larger than the male.
The adult red-tailed hawk is easily identified. As it leaves its perch on slow, measured wing beats or turns while soaring overhead, the broad, rounded tail displays a rich, russet red; hence its name.