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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Red tailed Hawk (1 Viewer)

Notice the dark bar at the leading edge of the wing (patagial bar). This is another good way to ID a Red-tailed Hawk. Except dark phase anyway. Often this is easier to spot than the red tail overhead.
 

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What is the Red Tails main quarry?
I have heard they like Snakes especially rattlesnakes.
Why are they so widespread in the US. Would they survive if they where to come here.

I think that Red tail is amazing, has anyone got a good close up on that beautiful Red Tail's Tail?
 
Talon 1,
What is the Red Tails main quarry?
I have heard they like Snakes especially rattlesnakes.
Click to expand...
According to the Smithsonian Handbook: " Eats small to medium mammals, reptiles, amphibians, grasshoppers, spiders, earthworms, crustaceans, some fish, and an occasional small bird or bats."

I think that Red tail is amazing, has anyone got a good close up on that beautiful Red Tail's Tail?
Click to expand...

http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/143164/cat/500/ppuser/39270

Sorry can't help with the other questions.

Lisa
 
That's a great picture.
You would have thought they would go after larger quarry due to their size. To survive right across the US shows you how sucessful they are
 
Hi Talon,
They are roughly the same size as your Common buzzard. According to Brian K. Wheeler in his fine book: Raptors of Eastern North America there are 13 races (subspecies) in North and Central America. See Page 253. You could describe them as the "Chevrolet" of North American Hawks. In Eastern Pennsylvania, where I live, they are so common that the first thing you do when you see a hawk is eliminate the possibility that it is a Red-tail. The eastern race is Buteo jamaicensis borealis. I saw 3 yesterday and I live on the south edge of a metropolitan area of about 200,000 people. A few years ago when I was exiting the Allentown, Pa. Airport I saw one swoop down and capture a rabbit not 20 feet from my car door.

Cordially
Bob
 
I've flown seven immature Redtails as part of my falconry practice.
In my region of New York they catch meadow voles at will.I think they prefer small mammals of that size when they are available.
They are very good at taking rabbits and squirrels.
I've concentrated on squirrel hawking because its such a visual, three dimensional experience.
As the birds evolve in their hunting technique they develop complex strategies for catching squirrels.Most often they will ladder up the branches of the tree forcing the squirrel to a position of disadvatage.
Other birds will employ the same technique from the top down.
Rabbits often attempt to keep an obstacle between themselves and a bird.They are frequently surprised by the redtails ability to crash through very heavy cover after a flight maneuver known as a wingover.
I've released all those birds after a season or two at a hawk migration point near my home into kettles of migrating redtails.
 
red tails are a bit larger than the common buzzard.


there already are feral redtails in the UK, a result of falconry birds escaping their masters.
 
This Red tailed appears to be a Western Red tailed (B.j. calurus) due to heavy belly band and lacking white throat, me thinks, Michael Woertman.
 
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