Red-tailed Hawk Identification

Adult (borealis)

Large with a red tail. Mostly pale below, with a darker belly band, wing tips, and edges of the flight feathers. Head brown with a white throat.

Adult (borealis)

Large with a red tail. Mostly brownish above with variable white in the wing coverts and lower back forming a pale 'V' on the upperwings. Eastern subspecies (borealis) tends to have plain red tail with neat black band near the tip.

Adult

When they detect prey on the ground, they glide or flap-and-glide downward, pushing their legs forward when nearing the prey and impaling it with their talons.

Adult light morph (calurus/alascensis)

Western subspecies (calurus) differs in being more richly colored below on average, and more heavily-marked. The body plumage is polymorphic in the western subspecies, occurring in light (as here), intermediate, and dark morphs.

Adult light morph (calurus/alascensis)

The red tail is more obvious when viewed from above. Otherwise all dark brown with light barring in the flight feathers.

Adult

Soars with wings held in a shallow V and "fingers" spread. Stoops to the ground by tucking its wings into its body.

Adult dark morph (calurus/alascensis)

Some dark morphs are strongly reddish-brown below, especially on the chest.

Adult dark morph (calurus/alascensis)

Dark chocolatey-brown body and wing linings, with paler flight feathers lightly barred and contrasting with dark wing tips and edges to the flight feathers.

Adult

Often perches motionless in trees along roadsides or slowly scans for prey from its perch.

Adult light morph (abieticola)

Large with a red tail. Mostly pale below, with a heavy darker belly band. Dark wing tips and edges to flight feathers contrast with paler wings.

Adult dark morph (Harlan's)

Chocolatey-brown below, with lightly barred whitish flight feathers, dark wing tips and edges to the flight feathers, and a mostly whitish tail with a dark tip.

Adult

When hunting, often hangs in the air scanning for prey below; a behavior known as kiting.

Adult light morph (Harlan's)

Mostly pale below with a heavy dark belly band, dark wing tips and edges to the flight feathers, and dark tips to a white tail.

Adult dark morph (Harlan's)

Adult Harlan's tail pattern highly variable above, characterized by white, gray, and black mottling and longitudinal streaking. Some lack red altogether.

Adult (Krider's)

Subspecies characterized by extremely lightly-marked underparts with faint patagial mark (often rufous toned) and faint to absent belly band.

Adult (Krider's)

Subspecies typically has rufous-toned upperparts with extensive white spangling, and whitish-based tail with red to pinkish tip.

Adult (costaricensis)

Birds in Costa Rica and Panama have rufous bellies and wing linings, pale flight feathers contrasting with dark wingtips and flight feather edges, and chocolatey-brown head and shoulders.

Juvenile light morph (calurus/alascensis)

Heavily streaked below, with bold barring on the wings, dark wingtips, and a lightly barred pale tail.

Juvenile dark morph (calurus/alascensis)

Very heavily streaked below, with darkly checkered wing linings, boldly barred wings with dark wingtips, and a finely barred brown and white tail.

Juvenile dark morph (Harlan's)

Very heavily streaked below, with darkly checkered wing linings, boldly barred wings with barred wingtips, and a finely barred brown and white tail.

Juvenile (Krider's)

Very pale, almost white head. Brown above mixed with white feathering, and finely barred wings and tail.

Adult (borealis)

Pale below with light reddish-brown streaking on the chest and a bold brown belly band. Head brown with some darker markings. Red tail often not visible on perched birds.

Juvenile (borealis)

Pale below with a broad and bold brown belly band. Head brown mixed with white feathering. Tail barred brown and whitish.

Juvenile (Krider's)

Juvenile Krider's is strikingly pale, with a mostly white head, white underparts with little or no breast streaking, and significant white on the dark upperparts.

Adult dark morph (calurus/alascensis)

Eats a wide variety of prey, including snakes, and occurs in many different habitats.

Adult (borealis)

Often mobbed by smaller birds, especially during the nesting season.

Habitat

Occurs in a wide variety of habitats, and often nests on or near cliffs.

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The Four Keys to ID

Size & Shape
Red-tailed Hawks are large hawks with typical Buteo proportions: very broad, rounded wings and a short, wide tail. Large females seen from a distance might fool you into thinking you’re seeing an eagle. (Until an actual eagle comes along.)
Relative Size
The Red-tailed is the second-largest Buteo hawk in North America, after Ferruginous Hawk.
between crow and goose
Measurements
Male
Length: 17.7-22.1 in (45-56 cm)
Weight: 24.3-45.9 oz (690-1300 g)
Wingspan: 44.9-52.4 in (114-133 cm)
Female
Length: 19.7-25.6 in (50-65 cm)
Weight: 31.8-51.5 oz (900-1460 g)
Wingspan: 44.9-52.4 in (114-133 cm)
© Jonathan Eckerson / Macaulay Library
Color Pattern
Most Red-tailed Hawks are rich brown above and pale below, with a streaked belly and, on the wing underside, a dark bar between shoulder and wrist. The tail is usually pale below and cinnamon-red above, though in young birds it’s brown and banded. “Dark-morph” birds are all chocolate-brown with a warm red tail. “Rufous-morph” birds are reddish-brown on the chest with a dark belly.
© Brian Sullivan / Macaulay Library
Behavior
Habitat

Regional Differences

Red-tailed Hawks have extremely variable plumage, and some of this variation is regional. A Great Plains race called "Krider's" hawk is pale, with a whitish head and washed-out pink in the tail. Light-morph western birds tend to be more streaky on the underparts than eastern Red-tails; south Texas forms are darker above, without the dark belly band most other Red-tails have. Dark-morph birds can occur anywhere but are more common in western North America - particularly in Alaska and northwest Canada, where the all-dark "Harlan's" race is common.

Relative Size

Measurements
Male
Length: 17.7-22.1 in (45-56 cm)
Weight: 24.3-45.9 oz (690-1300 g)
Wingspan: 44.9-52.4 in (114-133 cm)
Female
Length: 19.7-25.6 in (50-65 cm)
Weight: 31.8-51.5 oz (900-1460 g)
Wingspan: 44.9-52.4 in (114-133 cm)

Species in This Family

More to Read

Red-tailed Hawk Photos and Videos

Adult (borealis)

Adult (borealis)

Adult

Adult light morph (calurus/alascensis)

Adult light morph (calurus/alascensis)

Adult

Adult dark morph (calurus/alascensis)

Adult dark morph (calurus/alascensis)

Adult

Adult light morph (abieticola)

Adult dark morph (Harlan's)

Adult

Adult light morph (Harlan's)

Adult dark morph (Harlan's)

Adult (Krider's)

Adult (Krider's)

Adult (costaricensis)

Juvenile light morph (calurus/alascensis)

Juvenile dark morph (calurus/alascensis)

Juvenile dark morph (Harlan's)

Juvenile (Krider's)

Adult (borealis)

Juvenile (borealis)

Juvenile (Krider's)

Adult dark morph (calurus/alascensis)

Adult (borealis)

Habitat

Compare with Similar Species

Looking for ID Help?

The Four Keys to ID

Relative Size

MeasurementsMaleLength: 17.7-22.1 in (45-56 cm)Weight: 24.3-45.9 oz (690-1300 g)Wingspan: 44.9-52.4 in (114-133 cm)FemaleLength: 19.7-25.6 in (50-65 cm)Weight: 31.8-51.5 oz (900-1460 g)Wingspan: 44.9-52.4 in (114-133 cm)

Regional Differences

Species in This Family

More to Read

Measurements
Male
Length: 17.7-22.1 in (45-56 cm)
Weight: 24.3-45.9 oz (690-1300 g)
Wingspan: 44.9-52.4 in (114-133 cm)
Female
Length: 19.7-25.6 in (50-65 cm)
Weight: 31.8-51.5 oz (900-1460 g)
Wingspan: 44.9-52.4 in (114-133 cm)