A red-tailed hawk is named for the reddish color of its tail, and the red-tailed hawk gets its species name, jamaicensis, because the first ones scientists named were found in Jamaica. A red-tailed hawk is 18 to 26 inches long and has a wingspan of about 4 feet. Male red-tailed hawks weigh between about 1.5 and 2.9 pounds, and female red-tailed hawks are larger than male red-tailed hawks. Red-tailed hawks come in many colors, from nearly white to black.

A red-tailed hawk has excellent eyesight, and it can spot a mouse from 100 feet up in the air. Estimates say a red-tailed hawk sees two to three times as sharply as a person, and some say as much as eight times. Red-tailed hawks are built for soaring, and a red-tailed hawk scans the ground for food by soaring in wide circles or by perching on a tree or telephone pole.

A red-tailed hawk does most of its hunting from a perch, and it dives down and grabs its food in its talons. Red-tailed hawks eat mostly small mammals, such as mice, and they also eat reptiles and other birds. Red-tailed hawks help keep the number of rodents and other small mammals in check.

Red-tailed hawks live across North America and into Central America, and they like open land with high places to perch. The range of the red-tailed hawk has grown over the last 100 years. Red-tailed hawks from the far north fly south for the winter, while many others stay in one place all year. Red-tailed hawks have learned to nest in cities. Red-tailed hawks live in many kinds of places, including deserts, plains, woodlands and rain forests. Red-tailed hawks are often seen perched on poles and signs beside roads.

In courtship, a male red-tailed hawk soars in wide circles, then dives steeply and climbs again. Red-tailed hawks may mate for life, and they usually begin breeding at about three years old. Red-tailed hawks make big nests of sticks high up in trees. A pair of red-tailed hawks uses the same nest year after year.

A red-tailed hawk nest can be up to 3 feet across. A female red-tailed hawk lays one to five eggs, and the eggs are kept warm for 28 to 35 days before they hatch. While the female tends the young, the male hunts and brings food to the family. The female feeds the nestlings small pieces of food, and young red-tailed hawks leave the nest after 42 to 46 days. Both red-tailed hawk parents care for their chicks.

Words to know

• jamaicensis: species name
• courtship: pair-forming display
• nestlings: young birds
• talons: sharp claws