Skip to main content

Red-tailed Hawk

Buteo jamaicensis
If you live in North or Central America, today's bird might be a familiar sight. The Red-tailed hawk is one of the most widespread raptors on the Continent, and has adapted to live in just about every type of open habitat there is. They are commonly seen perched up on telephone poles and other high objects, so that they can scan downwards for prey. There are fourteen separate subspecies of the Hawk, spreading from Alaska to Panama to the Caribbean Islands.

Red-tailed Hawks  are monogamous and mate for life. During the courting process males will do steep swoops downward before pulling up and flying up just as fast. Once a few of these circuits have been completed they approach the females. Oftentimes the pair will then clasp talons and down a downward plummet before separating just above ground.

After choosing to pair up both partners will help to construct the nest, which can be 6.5ft (2m) tall! It's no wonder that they often use the same nest year after year, after putting in such a huge effort the first time!
Red-tailed Hawk perching

Red-tailed Hawks are opportunistic feeders, though about 80-90% of the diet is made up of rodents. They either wait from perches or soar slowly to locate prey with their incredible eyesight, (it's about 8 times greater than ours) and they they swoop down and snatch up their meal using strong, curved talons.

Red-tailed Hawks are incredibly common, and are not under any conservation risk. Their abundance makes them very popular in Falconry, and they are also considered to be very cooperative and easy to train.
IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : North and Central America
Size : Length up to 22in (56cm), Wingspan 50in (127cm)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Falconiformes
Family : Accipitridae -- Genus : Buteo -- Species : B. jamaicensis
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bornean Orangutan

The Bornean Orangutan is one of two extant Orangutan species in the world. It is the third largest primate (after Gorillas) and is the largest primarily tree-dwelling animal in the world. Males are substantially larger than females, and average at around 165lbs. Bornean Orangutans are largely solitary. A handful might live within a small range but they will seldom interact with one another. Males and females only meet up to breed, which happens only once every several years. A young Orangutan will stay with it's mother for about five years, and the females tend to go about eight years between births. That is the longest interim period of any animal! Sadly, the Bornean Orangutans are in a lot of trouble. They need large forests in order to thrive, and deforestation and habitat degradation has left many homeless. They are also hunted for meat and for traditional medicines. Conservation areas are being established to help these guys in the wild, and it is believed that there are a
59 comments
Read more

Four!

For anyone who was counting, yesterday was our birthday-- four years! Four years filled with animals from A to Z, more than 1,100 of them! I can't thank my readers enough, it's been wonderful! And in celebration of that milestone... I'm taking a break. Hopefully not forever, but for a little bit at least. In the mean time I plan on getting a new layout out, along with some updates to some of the older articles. I'll post updates here and on the Facebook page, I'm also brainstorming some new animal-related projects, so keep an eye out! Thanks again for four awesome years!
18 comments
Read more

Halloween Crab

Gecarcinus quadratus The Halloween Crab goes by many names, including the Red Land Crab, Whitespot Crab, and Moon Crab. I personally like Halloween Crab though, since it really reflects the interesting colors. They have black carapaces, orange-red legs, and purple claws! Halloween Crabs live in the Pacific coast mangroves and forests of Central and South America. They actually live in the forests as adults, and return to the ocean in order to reproduce. Did you know that they live as far away as 18 miles (30km)  from water? Not where you normally think Crabs to be! While living in the forest, the Crabs forage nocturnally for different plant matter, including leaves and sapling. They also dig long burrows into the ground for protection. These burrows can measure nearly 5 ft long! Halloween Crabs are sometimes kept in captivity, and can be very tricky pets due to their excellent climbing skills. IUCN Status :  Not Listed Location :   Cent
Post a Comment
Read more