Red-tailed hawks tend to keep the same territory their whole life it can be as large as 9.6 square miles (25 square kilometers). They typically choose open areas with scattered, elevated places to perch. They inhabit a wide range of habitats, including scrub, desert, plains, grasslands, agricultural fields, pastures, parks, woodlands, and tropical rainforests. Red-tails living in San Diego County have a cocoa-colored back and buff underside with brown and black stripes.Īlthough they avoid the tundra and thick forest, red-tailed hawks are more adaptable than any other hawk in the Buteo genus. From nearly white to black, these raptors range from Alaska to Panama and from California to the West Indies. Wide variations in color and pattern can be found in different regions of North and Central America, but all adult red-tailed hawks have the copper-colored tail that gives them their common name. Owls compete with the red-tailed hawks for nest sites both birds are known to kill the young and destroy the eggs of the other in an attempt at taking a nest site.
While most birds have no sense of smell, some scientists believe that hawks may have some olfactory ability.Īdult red-tailed hawks have few predators, but great horned owls and crows prey on red-tailed hawk eggs and nestlings. These predators have a nictitating membrane the clear inner lid cleans the eye and protects it while the hawk is wrestling with its prey. Red-tailed hawks are diurnal hunters but see black and white well enough to also hunt at dusk, the time when nocturnal wildlife, especially rodents, begin to awaken and move around. This means that the hawks can perceive colors that humans cannot see. They can see colors, like most humans can, as well as those in the ultraviolet range. Red-tailed hawks, like all raptors, have excellent vision. Other names for the red-tailed hawk are chicken-hawk and Harlan’s hawk. This is how the bird gets its species name, jamaicensis. They are one of the largest North American hawks and are commonly seen flying over rural areas from coast to coast. The first red-tailed hawks were identified in Jamaica, West Indies. These raptors, or birds of prey, have keen eyesight, binocular vision, powerful talons for grabbing prey, and a sharp beak. Red-tailed hawks are common in San Diego County and throughout North America, whether perched on a pole, soaring overhead, or just a distant, high-pitched "kkeeer." heard from beyond the trees.
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