Target folder // RETHAW
Red-tailed Hawk
Buteo jamaicensis · Accipitridae (hawks, eagles, and kites)
Imagery pending
The most common large hawk in the AO and the baseline every other buteo gets compared against. If a big hawk is sitting on a pole along the highway, start here.
ID Features
- Adults show a brick-red upper tail; juveniles have a brown, finely banded tail.
- Dark bar along the leading edge of the underwing (the patagial bar) is diagnostic in flight.
- Most show a band of dark streaks across a paler belly.
- Broad, rounded wings and a short, wide tail; often soars in slow circles or hovers into the wind.
- Very variable plumage, from pale to nearly all-dark morphs.
Signals
- callA hoarse, rasping, descending scream, "kee-eeeee-arr", lasting 2–3 seconds. The raptor scream most films dub over eagles.
More recordings: xeno-canto · Macaulay Library
Where and When
- Clark County, NV
- Year-roundOpen desert, agricultural fields, and urban edges. Watch utility poles and light standards.