Western Red-tailed Hawks Buteo jamaicensis
California, various dates 2004 - 2007

By far the most common and widespread buteo in North America, the Red-tailed Hawk is a bird of woodland and of open country, frequently seen sitting on telegraph poles or bare branches where it watches for rodents in the grass below (it’s worth noting that in strong winds they will sometimes hover - causing potential confusion with the longer-winged and larger Rough-legged Hawk/Buzzard Buteo lagopus, particularly in open country where the latter might be expected).

Apparently increasing across most of its range, displacing other hawk species as a consequence, Red-tailed Hawks breed from Alaska to Labrador, southward to Mexico and the Caribbean, down to Panama and winter from southern Canada southward.

The Red-tailed Hawks found in California are extremely variable in appearance with light (the majority of birds), intermediate, and dark forms (in combination these two forms amount to about 10-20% of the population). Whilst adult Red-tailed Hawks show plain red tails, it’s important to note that non-adults do not - they have barred tails instead.

The following discussions are based on the descriptions of Red-tailed Hawks in Sibley’s “The North American Bird Guide” (Pica Press, 2000) and my own photographs.

Photo 1: Adult “Light form”. Panoche Valley, California. Jan 2007

• Light form: Head darkish brown. Throat dark (”western” forms) or white (though Sibley states this is indicative of his “southwestern” form). Chest buffy-white or with rusty streaks. Dark band of streaks across belly variable, from very dark to nearly absent. Dark patches (the “patagials”) at leading edge of wing are distinctive and should almost be the first character to look for on a flying bird. Dark trailing edge. Back dark brown with white mottling; white forming spotty “V” on shoulders. May show pale eyestripe.

  Juveniles essentially quite similar, but recognisable by barred tail, pale primaries, and lack of reddish tones to the wing-linings and body feathers.

• Intermediate form: Head dark. Chest rusty or rufous (colour can be hard to make out sometimes). Dark band across breast. Underwing coverts and axillaries dark. Tail looks barred viewed from below when bird perched.
• Dark form: Dark brown all over (though apparently may show some rufous on chest). In flight, head and wing-linings are dark contrasting with pale flight feathers (again with dark trailing edge).

(The distinctive “Harlan’s Hawk” - which typically occurs east of the Rockies - is a predominantly dark form: it is the only form in which adults have no red on the tail.)

‘Light’ form

Photo 2: Adult. Panoche Valley, California. Jan 2007
Note whitish throat and dark breast streaks

 

Photo 3: Adult. San Dimas, California. April 2006

 

Photo 4: Adult. San Dimas, California. April 2006

 

Photo 5: Adult. San Dimas, California. April 2006

 

 

Photo 6: Juvenile. San Dimas, California. April 2006

 

Photo 7: Juvenile. San Dimas, California. April 2006 (just after interacting with two adults)

 

 

Photo 8: Adult. Merced, California. March 2005

 

Photo 9: Juvenile. Merced, California. March 2005

‘Intermediate’ form

Photo 10 and 11: Adult. Panoche Valley, California. January 2007

Photo 12: Adult. Panoche Valley, California. January 2007

Photo 13: Adult. Panoche Valley, California. January 2007

 

 

Photo 14: Juvenile. Panoche Valley, California. January 2006

All photos copyright Charlie Moores