Red-tailed Hawk
Buteo jamaicensis
Probably the most common hawk in North America, the red-tailed hawk is a predator that thrives in Iowa. If you’ve got sharp eyes you’ll see several individuals on almost any long car ride, anywhere. Red-tailed Hawks soar above open fields, slowly turning circles on their broad, rounded wings. Other times you’ll see them atop telephone poles, eyes fixed on the ground to catch the movements of a vole or a rabbit, or simply waiting out cold weather before climbing a thermal updraft into the sky.
[photo by Larry Reis]
From below, a soaring Red-tailed hHawk has a broad tail and wide wings. Its reddish tail can often be seen while the bird is perched in trees or highway power line poles. Most of its body, however, is brown with black and white streaks. Red-tailed hawks weigh in between 2 to 4 pounds, and are around 19 to 26 inches. The call of a Red-tailed Hawk is described as a high-pitched scream.
Red-tailed Hawks nest from February to June. The female lays one to four eggs, which take 28 to 32 days to hatch. The young, which are raised by both parents, are covered with white down for the first week, until feathers begin to grow. After six or seven weeks, the young hawks finally leave the nest.
Below is a range map. Swamps, woodlands, and prairies are where Red-tailed Hawks call home. They are found throughout Iowa the whole year.
[map from North Hills Field Guide]
Cool Facts:
Red-tailed Hawks have been seen hunting as a pair, guarding opposite sides of the same tree to catch tree squirrels.
Thanks to Hollywood, whenever a hawk or eagle appears onscreen, no matter what species, the shrill cry on the soundtrack is almost always a Red-tailed Hawk.
Courting Red-tailed Hawks put on a display in which they soar in wide circles at a great height. The male dives steeply, then shoots up again at an angle nearly as steep. After several of these swoops he approaches the female from above, extends his legs, and touches her briefly. Sometimes, the pair grab onto one other, clasp talons, and plummet in spirals toward the ground before pulling away.