![]() ![]() Red-tailed Hawks live in bonded pairs that will remain until one mate dies. A submissive posture is displayed by lowering the head and keeping the feathers sleek to the body. Aggressive posturing is displayed by a raised head and feathers standing upright to make them appear larger. The feathers of a Red-tailed Hawk are for more than just flight and warmth-they use them in addition with posture to communicate with each other. ![]() Aside from using perches, Red-tailed Hawks also hunt while flying, diving down quickly on their prey, and mated pairs may even hunt together. They may fly up behind the animal using trees or bushes as a cover, or perch on a nearby branch and appearing disinterested until the prey’s attention is distracted, at which point they attack. Red-tailed Hawks adapt their hunting strategy to their prey. During breeding season, more time might be spent in making or repairing a nest and defending the territory. ![]() They also spend the day defending their territory, soaring and flying perch to perch. Red-tailed Hawks are opportunistic hunters, and will hunt any time of the day. ![]() Their nests may provide homes for songbirds. They have an antagonistic relationship with many species of small birds that may ‘mob’ them during nesting season. Up to 85% of their diet is made up of small mammals. Red-tailed Hawks play an important role in keeping the population of rodents and other small mammals in check. They will also eat reptiles and other birds. Preys primarily on small mammals, such as rodents, rabbits and opossums. km.) of Red-tailed Hawks ranges from 0.03 (in Utah) to 0.78 (in California). Typically the larger territories are found in areas with scarcer resources, and smaller territories are resource-rich. The size depends on the habitat, food availability, the season, and number of perches and possible nest sites. The home range of a Red-tailed Hawk pair can vary greatly in size, from 0.85 square km to 5.2 square kilometers. They prefer open areas and will nest at edges of woodlands. They can be found in scrub lands, arid deserts, mountain grasslands and prairies, open coniferous and deciduous woodlands, pastures and agricultural fields, urban areas and tropical rainforests. The Red-tailed Hawk inhabits a wide range of habitats and altitudes. Red-tailed Hawks have a grip strength of about 200 pounds per square inch (psi)! Ecology Habitat This drives the talons into their prey with enough force to kill, or helps them land stably. The trigger to close the talons is when the pads on their feet touch either a perch or food, and then the foot snaps closed. To open their talons to catch food or during courtship flights, they must consciously open their feet. The relaxed Red-tailed Hawk foot and talon is closed. Then they hold their prey against a perch with their talons and use their beak to tear off pieces of meat. When hunting, the Red-tailed Hawk will use its talons to catch, subdue, and kill their prey. These act like the hawk’s knife and fork. Red-tailed Hawks have a sharply hooked beak and strong, curved talons. The lighter morph makes up almost all of the Red-tailed Hawks in eastern North America, while in the west there is much more variation. They are differentiated based on color morph and where they breed and spend the winter. There are at least 14 known subspecies of the Red-tailed Hawk, and as many as 16 depending on the source. Immature birds have lighter eyes and grayer tails and heavily streaked plumage. The cere, foot and leg are bright yellow. The breast and underbelly can range from a dark brown to a light buff color, with streaking on the belly, and the wings have a variable sized dark bar on the underside. The rest of their plumage varies greatly, though generally the back and wings are darker than the rest of the body, ranging from a light auburn to a dark brown. They can easily be identified by brick red tail feathers that give this bird its name. The Red-tailed Hawk is a large hawk with broad wings. ![]()
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