The red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) is a bird of prey that breeds throughout most of North America, from the interior of Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies. It is one of the most common members within the genus of Buteo in North America or worldwide. The red-tailed hawk is one of three species colloquially known in the United States as the "chickenhawk", though it rarely preys on standard-sized chickens. The bird is sometimes also referred to as the red-tail for short, when the meaning is clear in context. Red-tailed hawks can acclimate to all the biomes within their range, occurring on the edges of non-ideal habitats such as dense forests and sandy deserts. The red-tailed hawk occupies a wide range of habitats and altitudes including deserts, grasslands, coniferous and deciduous forests, agricultural fields and urban areas. Its latitudinal limits fall around the tree line in the Arctic and the species is absent from the high Arctic. It is legally protected in Canada, Mexico, and the United States by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The 14 recognized subspecies vary in appearance and range, varying most often in color, and in the west of North America, red-tails are particularly often strongly polymorphic, with individuals ranging from almost white to nearly all black. The subspecies Harlan's hawk (B. j. harlani) is sometimes considered a separate species (B. harlani). The red-tailed hawk is one of the largest members of the genus Buteo, typically weighing from 690 to 1,600 g (1.5 to 3.5 lb) and measuring 45β65 cm (18β26 in) in length, with a wingspan from 110β141 cm (3 ft 7 inβ4 ft 8 in). This species displays sexual dimorphism in size, with females averaging about 25% heavier than males (Wikipedia).
4 Comments
Stefani Wehner 30 May 2019
Wonderfully and perfectly done!!!Bowman Keath 26 May 2019
We had a red-tailed hawk who would land on the office window sill. You did a beautiful job with this work, Barbara!Joanie Holliday 26 May 2019
SO BEAUTIFUL. EXCELLENT WORK MY FRIEND.Thomas Curry 26 May 2019
excellent