Red-Tailed Hawk

 Range: Northern Canada through to Panama, including much of the Caribbean.

Habitat: The Red-tail is a bird of open country, such as grasslands and desert. They will also use farmland, and often perch on fence posts and telephone poles.

Diet: Mostly mammals, ranging in size from voles to jackrabbits. Birds up to pheasants in size are taken. Also snakes, amphibians, insects, and carrion.

Lifespan: Up to 21 years in the wild. 18-25 years in captivity. The oldest Red-tailed Hawk on record lived to be almost 29 years old.

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Nodin

Nodin is an Eastern Red-tailed Hawk, so he has a whiter chest than other Red-Tailed Hawks you may see in our area.

He was found in Michigan on the side of the road after being hit by a car. He is now blind in his right eye.
With only one eye, Nodin had no depth perception, which makes hunting in the wild nearly impossible.

Fun Facts

  • Red-tailed Hawks are the second largest Buteo hawk in North America. Only the Ferruginous Hawk is bigger.

  • Pairs of Red-tailed Hawks mate for life.

  • There may be as many as 14 different subspecies of Red-tailed Hawks, which are often variable in plumage, though most have the distinctive red tail and dark belly band. 

  • The dark subspecies “Harlan’s Hawk” of Alaska lacks both the red tail and belly band. Because of this it was formerly considered as separate species.

  • The scream of the Red-tailed Hawk is often used for the call of the Bald Eagle in movies.

  • Red-tailed Hawks can catch rattlesnakes; however they are not immune to the venom.

  • Red-tails are one of the most common and widespread hawks in North America.

  • Because they take such a variety of prey, a pair of Red-tails only needs half a square mile for breeding