by Beverley Francis

Created on: August 15, 2009

(BUTEO JAMAICENSIS)

The Red-tail hawk is the most common hawk in North America, and is found in Central America and as well as the West Indies.

Also known as chicken hawks, buzzard hawks and red hawks. They are a medium size bird with dark brown plumage and pale mottling on their back, they are white underneath with a dark belly band. Their wings are broad with buffed edges and a short brick red tail, and their feet are yellow with white feathers banded in brown and charcoal reaching to the knees. Eyes are a brick red and they have a heavy hooked beak capable of tearing their prey apart. Juveniles have gray-brown tails with dark bars. They measure about eighteen to twenty-six inches high with a wingspan of about fifty inches, and the average weight is between two to four pounds.

The Red-tailed hawk prefers open fields near woodlands but can also be found in deserts, mountains, rainforests and prairies. They can be seen circling high over fields or sitting for long periods on posts or poles looking for prey in open country close to woodlands. They feed on small mammals, amphibians, birds and reptiles but rarely go after household pets.

The Red-tailed hawk uses wooded areas for breeding. They are monogamous, some pairs seem to mate for more than one season and their nests are large, flat and shallow and made of sticks and twigs which are lined with moss and evergreen. The Red-tailed hawks' nest can be found on rocky ledges or trees in open areas thirty to ninety feet off the ground. The female lays between one and four whitish eggs that are incubated by both parents for twenty-seven to thirty-three days. The chicks are ready to leave the nest after five or six weeks.

Red-tailed hawks are legally protected in North America and Mexico. Falconers are allowed to take hawks in their first year to train for falconry and the majority of hawks caught are Red-tailed hawks. The feathers from the Red-tail hawk were considered sacred by some Native cultures and were used in their religious ceremonies. One of the most famous Red-tail hawks named Pale Male lives in New York City sharing the same apartment building as Woody Allen. PBS has done a documentary about him and he has a Wikipedia page as well as several websites. That's one popular hawk.

To keep hawks from building nests on top of power poles, high platforms are put up nearby to prevent damage to the electrical lines, birds and the nests. In Nova Scotia this is fairly common. One such nesting site has been in use for more than forty years, being visited by locals and tourists alike. They have become part of our local culture and people make special trips to greet them when they return for the summer and to watch their families grow.

So if you want to see a Red-tail hawk just hop in the car and go for a drive, remember to watch the skies and telephone poles and chances are good that you'll see one eventually or you could check with your municipality to see if they have breeding platforms in use that you could visit, it is worth the trip.

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