Red-Tailed Hawk

By: Jameiyah Sparks

Brave Bird

A red-tailed hawk is a bird of prey also known as a chicken hawk or buzzard hawk.

There are 14 subspecies of the red-tailed hawk but they look different.

ANATOMY Blocky and broad Dark brown belly with

whitish underbelly Red – orange tail Short and dark bill Horizontal streaked

feathers

18 to 26 inches long 43 to 57 inches

wingspan 1.52 to 3.53 lbs. .95 to 1.32 inch claws 7.40 to 10.19 inch tail

Flight Slowly Angled Little flapping 40 to 120 miles per hour

Bon AppetiteSmall mammalsBirds

Rodents

ReptilesSquirrels Fish Insects

Home Sweet home

Habitat Deserts Grasslands Coastal regions Mountains Rain forests Urban areas Woodlands Agricultural fields Foothills

Range North America Alaska Yukon Quebec Northwest Territories Canada Florida West Indies Central and North America

AdaptationLarge Size

Great Eyesight

Stick Nests

Claws

Lifestyle

Life cycle Reproduction 1 month to hatch Fly at 10 weeks Live about 20 years

Mate for life Spring breeding 1 to 5 eggs laid

Behavior

Females Defend predators Nest in tall trees

Males Dive for female attention Bring food while mother

nests

Both

Love to soar

Predators

Although they are one of the top predators, red-tailed hawks are often hunted by the great horned owl.

Survival

• There has been a decline in the raptor population over the last 50 years.

• Red-tails are protected by the law.• They are no longer on the endangered species

list.

The End