Wildlife Wonderings – Red-tailed Hawks
Eagles, ospreys, hawks, kites and owls -- birds of prey. Depending on the time of year, Jesse Jones Park has them all. One of the most popular -- and most visible here is -- the Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis).
It is one of the most common hawks in North America. In the United States, it is one of three species colloquially known as the "chickenhawk." The Red-tailed Hawk breeds throughout most of the continent, from western Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies. It occupies a wide range of habitats and altitudes including deserts, grasslands, coniferous and deciduous forests, agricultural fields and urban areas. It is absent in areas of unbroken forest and in the high arctic. It is legally protected in Canada, Mexico and the United States by the Migratory Bird Treaty.
They are something to see. It is one of the largest members of the genus Buteo in North America, typically weighing from 1.5-3.5 pounds and measuring 18–26 inches in length, with a wingspan from 43–57 inches). Females are about 25 percent heavier than males. It has a stocky body with broad wings and can be distinguished from other North American hawks by the tail, which is uniformly brick-red above and light buff-orange below.
The species feeds on a wide range of small animals such as rodents, birds, and reptiles. Pairs stay together for life, taking a new mate only when the original mate dies. The pair constructs a stick nest in a high tree, in which a clutch of one to three eggs is laid.
The 14 recognized subspecies vary in appearance and range. Because they are so common and easily trained as capable hunters, the majority of hawks captured for falconry in the United States are Red-tailed Hawks. The feathers and other parts of the Red-tailed Hawk are considered sacred to many American indigenous people.
The genus name Buteo is derived from the Latin būteō meaning 'buzzard.' The specific name jamaicensis refers to the island of Jamaica, which derives from the Taíno word Xaymaca meaning 'land of woods and water.' "Red-tailed Hawk" is the official English common name designated by the International Ornithologists' Union (IOU).
The Red-tailed Hawk is sexually dimorphic in size, as females are up to 25 percent larger than males.
Adults are usually easy to identify by their red tail that ends in a single black band. Immature birds are more difficult to identify, and their tail is patterned with about six darker bars. Their flight silhouette gives important clues for identification, and at close range, their yellowish irises are characteristic. As the bird attains full maturity over the course of 3–4 years, the iris slowly darkens into a reddish-brown hue.
Adult hawks have few natural predators, although their eggs and chicks are preyed on by a variety of organisms. The Red-tailed Hawk preys on small mammals such as rodents and lagomorphs, but they will also opportunistically consume birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians. Prey varies with regional and seasonal availability, but usually centers on rodents, comprising up to 85 percent of a hawk's diet. Most commonly reported prey types include mice (including both native Peromyscus species and house mice), gophers, voles, chipmunks, ground squirrels and tree squirrels. Additional prey includes lagomorphs, shrews, bats, pigeons, quail, corvids, waterfowl, other raptors, reptiles, fish, crustaceans, insects and earthworms. They can also prey on marmots, white-tailed jackrabbits, or female wild turkey, all of which are at least easily double the weight of most Red-tails. Hawks will eat carrion if need be, although it is not a preferred food source. During winter in captivity, an average Red-tail Hawk will eat about 4.8 ounces daily.
A clutch of 1-5 eggs is laid in spring, with an egg roughly every second day. They are incubated by both parents. The altricial nestlings emerge from the eggs over 2-4 days. The female broods them while the male provides most of the food to the female. The female feeds the young, tearing it into manageable pieces for them. After 42-46 days, the young start to leave the nest. Fledging, including learning to fly and hunt, takes some 10 weeks. About 6-7 weeks after fledging, the young begin to capture their own prey.
To learn more about the magnificent Red-tailed Hawk, come to Jesse Jones Park on Wednesday, March 4, at 12 noon, for Wildlife Wonderings. This informal program is free of charge and open to hawk lovers of all ages.
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