Red-tailed Hawk

Buteo jamaicensis

Circles overhead with your message, screaming that iconic Hollywood hawk cry.

Population: Global population estimated at 2 million or more (Birds of the World / Partners in Flight), considered stable or slightly increasing; regional figures vary widely by source (e.g. ~1 million within the US alone per some estimates, up to ~3.1 million cited elsewhere)
Habitat: Open country and woodland edges with high perches — deserts, grasslands, agricultural fields, mountains, and increasingly urban areas; absent from unbroken dense forest and high Arctic tundra
Fun fact: The Red-tailed Hawk's iconic rasping "kree-eee-ar" scream is so recognizable that it has become Hollywood's go-to raptor sound effect, routinely dubbed over footage of eagles and other birds of prey that don't actually make that sound.
Range: Throughout North America, from Alaska and Canada south through the United States, Mexico, and Central America to Panama, including the West Indies; northern populations migratory, central/southern populations largely resident
Diet: Primarily small mammals (rodents, rabbits, ground squirrels make up ~80-85% of diet), supplemented by birds (up to pheasant size), reptiles (especially snakes), amphibians, and carrion
Size: 0.55 m
Wingspan: 1.2 m
Lifespan: 21 years

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