Red-tailed Hawk
(Buteo jamaicensis)
Habitat
They are found in almost every habitat type including fields, open woodlands,
alpine meadows and deserts, and along road sides. The only place they are
not found is in high arctic regions and large tracts of dense forest.
Physical
Characteristics
Red-tailed hawks are large, stocky birds with long, broad wings and short, broad
tails. Although there is tremendous regional and even local variation in plumage,
the “typical” red-tail has a brown back, dark head and light breast
with a darker belly band. The upper surface of the tail is red in adults, giving
the hawk its common name. Red-tailed hawks have a wingspan of 3.5 to over 4.5
feet (105-135 cm). They weigh between 1.5-3.5 pounds (.7-1.6 kg). As with most
raptors, females are larger than males.
Life
Span
A banded red-tailed hawk lived 23 years in the wild. A captive red-tailed hawk
lived 29 years.
Diet
In the wild: Red-tailed hawks are the ultimate generalists,
living in a diversity of habitats and eating equally diverse types
of prey. Their prey consists primarily of rodents, rabbits, snakes,
lizards and small birds, but they also catch fish and large insects.
Red-tailed hawks also steal prey from other raptors and eat carrion
(dead animals).
Reproduction
Red-tailed hawks appear to mate for life, and will not take another
mate as long as their current mate lives. The mated pair usually
returns to the same nesting territory each year and both partners
will defend the nest. They will often build several alternative
nest sites within their territory. Nests are normally built in
trees (or sometimes on cliffs) and reach 2.5-3 feet (75-90 cm)
across. A clutch of two to three white, brown-spotted eggs are
laid. Eggs are incubated for 30-35 days, and young first fly when
43-48 days old.
Life Cycle
Red-tailed hawks may spend long periods soaring in search
of prey. They are superb soarers and make extensive use of thermals
to fly for long periods without flapping their wings. When they do
flap, their wing beat is powerful, but slow and shallow. In addition
to hunting while soaring, red-tailed hawks also hunt from perches or
from a hover. Northern populations may migrate south during the winter.
Aerial Courtship
One does not soon forget the sight of a pair of red-tailed hawks involved in
their aerial courtship. While continually calling to one another, the partners
soar, barrel roll and dive in mock combat at each other. They may even
lock talons as they spiral downward toward the ground. Following their
amazing dance in the sky, they usually fly in unison to a tree where they
copulate.
Location
at the Zoo
Woodland
Park Zoo does not currently have a red-tailed hawk. However, birds
that can be viewed at the zoo’s Raptor Center include the bald eagle,
gyrfalcon, Harris’s hawk, turkey vulture as well as spectacled
and barred owls. Additionally, two owls can be seen in the zoo’s
Temperate Forest bioclimatic zone; a spotted owl adjacent to “Bug” World
and a barn owl at the Family Farm. The zoo’s Eagle Release
Program has rehabilitated and released back into the wild more than
80 golden and bald eagles, plus other raptor species.
Conservation
Connection
In contrast
to many North American raptors (birds of prey), red-tailed hawk populations
have remained stable or even increased in some areas in recent decades.
Red-tailed hawks have benefited from increased tree growth in areas
that were once purely grasslands, and from the increase in human-made
perches along roadsides. In some areas, red-tailed hawks are displacing
red-shouldered, ferruginous and Swainson’s hawks.
Many raptor species are in danger. Human-caused changes in land use
are escalating, and this affects the habitats and migratory corridors
required by some raptors for survival. Vast forests are removed for
timber and other paper products, and industrial emissions pollute
water and air resources. Critical shoreline and riparian zone habitats
are rapidly converted by expanding human communities and agricultural
needs. Shooting and trapping are also lowering raptor numbers. It’s
only a matter of time until more raptor species will be pushed to the brink of
extinction.
Humans need raptors. Here are only a few of the benefits raptors provide:
- Raptors help keep
animal populations in balance.
- Raptors consume
many animals that humans consider as pests, including mice, rats
and destructive species of insects. This helps to control disease
and damage to crops.
- As top predators
of their food chain, raptors are an indicator species of the overall
health of the ecosystem in which they live.
- Of equal importance,
witnessing wild raptors enriches each of our lives. Imagine what
life would be like if we could no longer gaze upon the grandeur
of raptors soaring high above.
How You Can
Help!
Efforts to save threatened and endangered raptors require cooperation and support
at international, national, regional and individual levels. You can help in
this cause. Join and become active in Woodland Park Zoo and other conservation
organizations of your choice. Recycle forest products. Eliminate or reduce
pesticide use. Support breeding programs for endangered birds of prey at zoos
and other animal care organizations. Let your elected representatives know
your views about the conservation of migratory birds and their wild habitats.
Contact Woodland Park Zoo at webkeeper@zoo.org to find ways you
can support conservation programs at the zoo. Discover more about raptors by
calling the Peregrine Fund (208) 362-3716. Learn other ways you can help conserve
wildlife and their habitats by visiting our How You Can Help page.
Sources and
Suggested Reading
Johnsgard, Paul A. 1990. Hawks, Eagles, and Falcons of North America. Smithsonian
Institution, Washington, DC. 403 p.
Weidensaul, Scott. 1996. Raptors: The Birds of Prey. Lyons and Burford, Publishers,
New York, NY. 382 p.
For Kids!
Burnie, David. 1988. Bird (Eyewitness Books). Alfred A. Knopf,
Inc., New York, NY. 64 p.
Zoobooks. 1986. Birds of Prey. Wildlife Education, Ltd., San Diego, CA. 16
p.