Tuesday 18 June Red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) Red-tailed
hawk fact file - Find out more - Print factsheet Red-tailed hawk
description One of North America’s most widespread and common
hawks, the red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) is easily
identified by the red upper surface of its broad tail. Most red-
tailed hawks have rich brown upperparts and pale underparts,
with a streaked belly and a dark bar on the underside of the
wing. However, this species varies greatly across its range,
with up to 16 subspecies recognised by various authorities (2)
(3). Almost all subspecies of the red-tailed hawk have some red
in the tail, but this is variable with age, and they are usually
distinguished instead by colouration of the underparts, the tail
markings, and size. Some populations also have ‘dark-phase’
birds, which are all chocolate-brown excluding the red tail, and
‘rufous-phase’ birds, which are reddish-brown on the chest with
a dark belly (2) (3) (4) (5). Immature red-tailed hawks also
vary in appearance, but