This spring we started receiving visits from a Red Tail Hawk.   If you click on the link you’ll go to the plog of photos of our sightings.

The Red Tail Hawk is the most common of North American Hawks.  It is a bird of open country and is often seen sitting on telephone poles or light poles watching for rodents in the grass.  The population of the hawk is increasing, partly because of a change to the landscape from woodlands to open areas.

Descripton:

•  Size: 45-65 cm (18-26 in)
• Wingspan: 114-133 cm (45-52 in)
• Weight: 690-1460 g (24.36-51.54 ounces)
• Large hawk
• Wings long and broad
• Tail broad and red
• Most commonly with pale chest and dark band across belly
• Extremely variable in appearance with light and dark forms
• Tail reddish on top, with dark band near end
• Tail lighter red below; unbanded
• Light forms: Head darkish brown. Throat dark or white. Chest white or with rusty streaks. Dark band of streaks across belly variable, from very dark to nearly absent. Dark patches at leading edge of wing, and dark trailing edge. Back dark brown with white mottling; white forming loose “V” on shoulders. May show pale eyestripe
• Dark form: Dark brown all over. May be rufous on chest. Tail red on top. In flight, front of wings dark, flight feathers pale, with dark trailing edge
• “Harlan’s Hawk” is a dark form without red on tail

Cool fact:  The raspy cry of the Red-tailed Hawk is used in movies to represent any eagle or hawk anywhere in the world.

Source: All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

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