Hawk

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Hawks

One Sharp Bird: Hawks, as part of the group known as birds of prey, have acute eyesight, muscular legs and sharp bills. The nostrils are located just above the bill on a fleshy patch of skin that is called the cere. Hawks are known for their sharp talons, which they use to catch prey even when in flight.

A Huge Family: Over 250 species are included in the hawk family. Hawks, like most birds of prey, hunt during the daytime, unlike owls.

Small, Medium and Large: Hawks can be found in forests, prairies, marshlands or open savannas. The birds vary widely in size. The smallest hawks, such as the sparrow hawk, are about the size of a robin while the rough-legged hawk, one of the largest hawks, has a length of 22 inches and a wingspan of over 55 inches. Female hawks are almost always larger than males.

DID YOU KNOW?

Homebody Hawk: Hawks hunt and nest in the same territory every year. They may have a number of nest locations and rotate use annually.

A Big Pushover: A non-aggressive bird, the red-tailed hawk is often harassed by other birds, such as owls, crows, magpies, other hawks and even songbirds.

Aerial Acrobatics: These typically secretive birds perform amazing acrobatic aerial displays during the spring breeding season.

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The Red-Tailed Hawk

Red-Tailed Hawk Profile
These beautiful birds are North America's most common hawks. They are found all over the continent, in Central America, and in the West Indies. The first of these hawks to be scientifically studied was found in Jamaica.

Red-tailed hawks are known for their brick-colored tails, but there are 14 subspecies of various colorations, and not all of them have this characteristic.

These birds of prey are also known as buzzard hawks and red hawks. By any name, they are keen-eyed and efficient hunters. Red-tails prefer open areas, such as fields or deserts, with high perching places nearby from which they can watch for prey. But these birds are adaptable and also dwell in mountains and tropical rain forests. Hawks have even embraced human habitats. They often perch on telephone poles and take advantage of the open spaces along the roadside to spot and seize mice, ground squirrels, rabbits, reptiles, or other prey.

Breeding season initiates a spectacular sequence of aerial acrobatics. Hawk pairs fly in large circles and gain great height before the male plunges into a deep dive and subsequent steep climb back to circling height. Later, the birds grab hold of one another with their talons and fall spiraling towards earth.

Red-tailed hawks are monogamous and may mate for life. They make stick nests high above the ground, in which the female lays one to five eggs each year. Both sexes incubate the eggs for four to five weeks, and feed the young from the time they hatch until they leave the nest about six weeks later.

Red-Tailed Hawk Range (In the yellow)

Fast Facts

Type: Bird
Diet: Carnivore
Average lifespan in the wild: 21 years
Size: Body, 18 to 26 in (45 to 65 cm); Wingspan, 3.8 to 4.3 (1.1 to 1.3 m)
Weight: 24.3 to 51.5 oz (690 to 1,460 g)
Did you know?: The red-tailed hawk is displaying an aggressive posture when it holds its body and head upright, and its feathers are standing erect.

Size relative to a 6-ft (2-m) man

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Credit:

Information © AnimalPlanet.com
Information & Pictures © NationalGeographic.com