🦊 Red fox vs Red-tailed hawk 🦅
The red fox is about twice as long as the red-tailed hawk. The red fox weighs about 4 times as much as the red-tailed hawk.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🦊 Red fox | 🦅 Red-tailed hawk |
|---|---|---|
| Size The red fox is about twice as long as the red-tailed hawk. | 3.6 ft1.1 m1 | 19 to 26 in48 to 65 cm2 |
| Top speed Neither has a checked number yet. | no checked number yet | no checked number yet |
| Weight The red fox weighs about 4 times as much as the red-tailed hawk. | 9 to 11 lb4.1 to 5 kg3 | 1.8 to 2.7 lb800 g to 1.2 kg2 |
| Lives The red-tailed hawk usually lives about 6 times as long as the red fox. | 3 to 4 years3 to 4 years4 | 22 years22 years2 |
| Eats The red fox eats plants and animals; the red-tailed hawk eats meat. | mice, rabbits, birds, insects, fruit and berries | mostly small rodents, and sometimes rabbits, reptiles and other birds |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | most of the Northern Hemisphere, from forests and farms to city parks | open country with high perches, such as grassland, farm fields, parks and woodland edges, across North and Central America |
Which one? Red fox or red-tailed hawk
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the red fox or the red-tailed hawk yet, so there is no race.
We only race. Real animals mostly avoid each other. A race is the only fair contest: who reaches the tree first, by top speed. Our face-off books compare real numbers, and nobody gets hurt.
10 things to know about Red fox vs Red-tailed hawk
- The red fox: A red fox can hear a mouse squeaking under deep snow.
- The red-tailed hawk: A common hawk that watches for small animals from high perches.
- They are different kinds of animal. The red fox is a mammal, so it breathes air with lungs and feeds its babies milk; the red-tailed hawk is a bird, so it has feathers and lays eggs.
- The red fox is about twice as long as the red-tailed hawk: 1 against 2.
- The red fox weighs about 4 times as much as the red-tailed hawk. That is 3 for the red fox and 2 for the red-tailed hawk.
- The red-tailed hawk usually lives about 6 times as long as the red fox. Usual lifespans: 4 for the red fox and 2 for the red-tailed hawk.
- The red fox eats mice, rabbits, birds, insects, fruit and berries. The red-tailed hawk eats mostly small rodents, and sometimes rabbits, reptiles and other birds.
- The red fox lives in most of the Northern Hemisphere, from forests and farms to city parks. The red-tailed hawk lives in open country with high perches, such as grassland, farm fields, parks and woodland edges, across North and Central America. They can live in the same kind of place.
- The red fox: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 5
- The red-tailed hawk: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 6
Wow facts
🦊 Red fox
- A red fox has pupils shaped like slits, like a cat's.
- Red fox kits are born with brownish-gray fur, and the red coat comes later.
- Red foxes live in cities, forests, farms and even deserts.
🦅 Red-tailed hawk
- A red-tailed hawk watches for food from a high perch.
- Most of its food is small rodents.
- It lives in parks and farm fields as well as grassland.
Questions kids ask about Red fox and Red-tailed hawk
Which is bigger, red fox or red-tailed hawk?
The red fox is about twice as long as the red-tailed hawk: 1 against 2.
Which is heavier, red fox or red-tailed hawk?
The red fox weighs about 4 times as much as the red-tailed hawk. That is 3 for the red fox and 2 for the red-tailed hawk.
Which lives longer, red fox or red-tailed hawk?
The red-tailed hawk usually lives about 6 times as long as the red fox. Usual lifespans: 4 for the red fox and 2 for the red-tailed hawk.
What do red fox and red-tailed hawk eat?
The red fox eats mice, rabbits, birds, insects, fruit and berries. The red-tailed hawk eats mostly small rodents, and sometimes rabbits, reptiles and other birds.
Where do red fox and red-tailed hawk live?
The red fox lives in most of the Northern Hemisphere, from forests and farms to city parks. The red-tailed hawk lives in open country with high perches, such as grassland, farm fields, parks and woodland edges, across North and Central America. They can live in the same kind of place.
Do red-tailed hawks eat red foxes?
The red-tailed hawk eats mostly small rodents, and sometimes rabbits, reptiles and other birds. Red foxes are not in that list, which comes from its page. And the red fox is about twice as long as the red-tailed hawk.
Who would win, red fox or red-tailed hawk?
We never show fights, because a fight is not a fair way to compare animals. They can share the same kind of place, and real animals mostly keep out of each other's way. What we can compare is how big, how heavy, how fast, how long they live and what they eat, as above.
📤 Share this pair
The link carries only the two animals’ names: peabody.kids/animals/compare/red-fox-vs-red-tailed-hawk
Where these numbers come from
- National Park Service, Yellowstone, checked 30 October 2026.
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Buteo jamaicensis (red-tailed hawk), checked 10 November 2026.
- National Park Service (The Clever Red Fox), checked 30 October 2026.
- USDA Forest Service, Fire Effects Information System, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.