EAC^LES, HAWKS, AND KITES 



71 



RED-TAILED HAWK 



Buteo borealis borealis (Ginelin) 



A. O. U. XumbtT 33y See Color Plates 43, 46, 47 



Other Names.— Red Hawk; Hen Hawk; Chicken 

 Hawk; Kcil-lail ; Eastern Red-tail; Red-tailed I'.uzzard ; 

 Buzzard Hawk; W'hite-brcastcd Chicken Hawk. 



General Description. — Length : male, 22 inclics ; 

 female. 24 inches. Spread of wings. 50 to 56 inches. 

 Color above, dark brown ; below, whitish. Four outer 

 primaries notched on inner webs; long, broad wings; 

 wide-spreading tail of medium length. 



Color. — .■\nri.TS : Plumage above, dark brown mixed 

 or mottled with gray and whitish ; under parts, white or 

 whitish, usually washed with liuff on sides of breast 

 and with abdomen streaked with dark brown or black- 

 ish ; tail, bri<;lit rust-red or rufous above, usually with 

 a distinct black bar near the end, the tip, whitish ; iris, 

 brown ; bill, dusky horn color ; cere, legs, and feet, 

 yellow. Young : Dark streaks on abdomen so thick as 

 to form a broad band of blackish ; the tail, gray crossed 

 by about eight narrow bars of blacki,sh ; iris and bill, 

 yellow ; feet, duller yellow ; otherwise, similar to adults. 



Nest and Eggs. — Nkst: .\ large and bulky struc- 

 ture generally placed well up in the forks of a large 

 tree from 40 to 80 feet above ground ; constructed of 

 i|uite large sticks and lined with smaller twigs, bits of 

 bark, and usually with the tips of hemlock branches, 

 fern leaves, or moss ; the same nest is occupied year 

 after year and the annual addition of material adds to 

 the bulk. Eccs ; 2 to 4, dull whitish or Ijhiish-white, 

 and exhibiting a wide variation in form and markings; 

 some plain, others heavily blotched with many shades 

 of brown and red and still others with a few faint 

 spots of pale lavender-gray which may form wreaths 

 around either end or be fairly well distributed over 

 entire surface. 



Distribution. — • Eastern North America, from Sas- 

 katchewan, Wisconsin, and Illinois east to central Kee- 

 watin and Newfoundland, and south to eastern Texas, 

 northeastern Mexico, the Gulf coast, Florida, and the 

 Greater Antilles. 



The Red-tailed Hawk's shrill kec-cr-r-r at- 

 tracts our attention to its circling flight over the 

 rocky hillsides of its favorite haunts. It is a 

 slow-moving species. Frequently it is seen 



perched on a tree look-out where it watches for 

 the small quadrupeds, especially mice, which 

 form its principal food. 

 Although known throughout the country as 



Photo by S. .\. Lottridge 



RED-TAILED HAWK 

 A useful species for keeping down the rodent population 



