Which hawk are you seeing? Here's how to tell if your bird is an adult or juvenile red-tailed hawk. Learn about their sounds, range and more.
How to Identify a Red-Tailed Hawk
Updated on Oct. 09, 2024
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Red-Tailed Hawk Identification
Every birder knows it—hawks are some of the trickiest birds to identify. Sure, it’s almost always obvious when you’ve seen a hawk. But which hawk? Red-tailed hawks are widespread across most of the United States, so there’s a good chance the big bird of prey you’ve spotted is a red-tailed hawk. Here’s how to know for sure.
Meet more types of hawks you should know.
Red-Tailed Hawk Field Marks and Features
Four talons on each foot capture and hold prey. And like other hawks, red-taileds have a sharp, curved bill. This allows them to easily tear apart their prey. (Learn more about the foods hawks eat.)
Their large, deep eyes provide excellent vision and are typically dark-colored. In the case of a juvenile red-tailed hawk, birding experts Kenn and Kimberly Kaufman note that the eyes are yellow.
There’s plenty of bulk to this hawk’s stature, so you might assume it’s a heavy bird. But you would be wrong. Despite its height of 2 feet and its 4-foot wingspan, it weighs less than 3 pounds.
Don’t miss these simply stunning pictures of hawks.
Red-Tailed Hawk Plumage
Identifying these hawks based on plumage can be tough. Kenn and Kimberly note there are many different plumage variations among red-tailed hawks, with a majority of the birds having white or light-colored chests. Others, however, have reddish brown or almost black underparts.
In the case of a “typical” red-tailed hawk, the bird sports dark brown feathers on its back, face and wings, and a light-colored belly streaked with brown feathers.
Kenn and Kimberly say red-tailed hawks in the West are much more variable than those in the East, often showing up in dark or rufous (reddish) forms.
“I took this photo of a hawk (above) as I was leaving Barr Lake State Park near Brighton, Colorado. Is it a juvenile red-tailed hawk in dark form?” asks Birds & Blooms reader Carl Muehlemeyer of Broomfield, Colorado.
Yes, it’s a dark red-tailed hawk, and it’s a juvenile as indicated by its pale eyes and lack of red in the tail. Other species can be eliminated for various reasons: Rough-legged hawk and ferruginous hawk would have feathered legs, not bare yellow legs like this bird, and Swainson’s hawk would have a smaller bill and longer wingtips. Other hawks would have different shapes or different tail patterns, or would be very unlikely in central Colorado.
Here’s how to identify a Cooper’s hawk vs a sharp-shinned hawk.
Do All Red-Tailed Hawks Have Red Tails?
A surefire way to tell an adult red-tailed from a juvenile is to look at its tail. Adults feature red feathers on their tails, while juveniles’ tails are a darker brown.
Kenn and Kimberly explain that the younger birds don’t show reddish tail feathers until they are at least a year old. Until then, their tail feathers are brown with narrow, darker bars.
Red-Tailed Hawk Diet
Surprisingly, smaller birds might be more tolerant of a red-tailed hawk’s presence than other birds of prey. Kenn and Kimberly mention that unlike Cooper’s hawks or peregrine falcons, red-taileds aren’t usually fast enough to catch a bird. They feed primarily on rodents and small mammals.
Find out what a northern harrier looks like.
Habitat and Range
These hawks like to hang out perched along roadsides; they have a habit of soaring with barely a flap of their wings. They’re commonly found in open country, but they’ve moved into cities and suburbs in recent years.
They can be spotted year-round in most of the U.S. In the far north and into Canada, you’re most likely to only see them in the summer breeding season.
Did you know: the American kestrel is the smallest falcon in the U.S.
Sounds and Call
Listen for a high-pitched shrill sounding call to locate these birds of prey. This hawk probably sounds familiar, as its scream-like calls are often featured as nature sound effects in TV shows and movies.
Bird sounds courtesy of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Nesting Habits
These birds form typically mate for life. They nest in late winter or early spring, most often at the tops of trees. The female lays one to five eggs, which both parents incubate for around a month.
Fledglings leave the nest approximately six or seven weeks after hatching but remain close-by their parents for a few weeks longer. Young birds may fall victim to great horned owls.
Next, discover why crows chase hawks.
About the Experts
Kenn and Kimberly Kaufman are the official bird experts for Birds & Blooms. They are the creators of the Kaufman Field Guide series and they lead birding trips all over the world.
Sources
- Wildlife NYC – red-tailed hawk
- All About Birds – red-tailed hawk
