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Red-tailed Hawk
Red-tails, like other hawks, show a great variation in plumage. The dark phase of a Western Red-tail compares favorably with the plumage of an adult Golden Eagle, but the smaller size and the reddish upper tail surface which reflects the sun as the bird soars, furnishes the clue. Typical plumage shows a dark belly-band with bright, reddish upper tail, while some birds show a light breast and belly.
This bird prefers open woodlands or a dead tree with fields adjoining. There he may sit for hours, but ever watchful for some movement which might indicate the presence of a gopher, field mouse, rat or even a snake. All add to his varied menu. Rodents soon become pests when these hawks are scarce. This bird often is killed by farmers and poultry raisers when the real culprit, the Cooper’s Hawk, lives on to enjoy the flock.
The Red-tail’s size and habit of perching in exposed places make him a ready target for anyone who carries a gun. Slow flight combined with his habit of soaring also add to his high death rate.
- Author
- The Project Gutenberg EBook of Introduction to Our Bird Friends, Volume 1, by Lenwood Ballard Carson
Published 1954 - Posted on
- Wednesday 8 July 2020
- Dimensions
- 630*954
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- Birds
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