Facts About the Red Tail Hawk

Red-tail hawks were once called chicken hawks because farmers believed they stole their chickens. A red-tail hawk is about 22 inches long, with a 50-inch wingspan, weighs 1.5 to 3.5 pounds and can fly 35-40 mph. Based on their size, many people believe the chicks would have to be very small for the hawk to attempt it.

The backs and upper wing surfaces are reddish brown, white/light streaked below, with a brown band of feathers at the belly, and have a broad fan shaped tail. Adults are easily identified by the upper surface of their red tails.

Red-tail hawks prey on a wide variety of animals from grasshoppers to voles, wood rats, mice, rabbits, jack rabbits and snow shoe hares. They have strong feet in order to catch and kill their prey. During the winter, they depend on mice as their main source of food, but fairly large birds on the ground often become victims as well, such as blackbirds, pheasants and starling. Often, for these hawks to catch active animals such as squirrels, it is necessary for them to hunt in pairs.

Preferring open areas, red tail hawks are often seen soaring over open fields or perching conspicuously on a branch or fencepost along a highway. Unfortunately, being around highways, a large number of red-tails are hurt or killed by automobiles.

Hawks start breeding when they are one year old. Red tail hawks breed in early spring, depending on latitude. Breeding season displays these acrobatic technicians as pairs as they fly in large circles and gain great height and males dropping 2,000 feet in a single dive. Sometimes the female will join him and grab hold of one another with their talons, spiraling towards earth until they lose so much altitude they are forced to break apart.

Red tails usually nest 30 – 70 feet above ground in large trees, but will occasionally nest on cliffs or low edges. Nests are piles of dry sticks that are as high as six feet and three feet across. Construction can take from four to seven days. Red tail hawks are flexible in their nesting site and will occasionally nest in shrubs, isolated trees or human-made structures. The eggs are laid six to eight weeks later. The female lays two to four bluish-white eggs. Incubation period is 28 days. The male supplies all the food for the family during the incubation period, as well as helping her feed the chicks.

Northern Mexico has the largest red-tailed hawks while the smallest can be found in Alaska. Red tails are very adaptable and wide ranging; you will find them in open country, wide rocky canyons, and woodlands or perched within a few yards of busy highways. Red-tails will winter from southern Canada to Central America.

The Red-tail hawk has several enemies; alligators, foxes, weasels, raccoons and, of course, people who — either directly or indirectly — continue to alter their habitats. The hawk’s average life span in the wild is 20 years.