![]() ![]() ![]() Juveniles have brown tails with horizontal stripes. Only adult red-tailed hawks have rusty red tails. They have brown hash marks on their bellies called a “ belly band” with white above and below. Their faces are brown all the way to their shoulders (no malar stripe). Red-tailed hawks are bigger than crows, white on their chests and brown on their heads, faces, wings and backs. Is the bird in the human zone? Is the bird perched close to humans and doesn’t even care about them? If so, it’s probably a red-tailed hawk …but is it June? What does it look like? Where is the bird? In what habitat? Is it in the city on a building? (Could be either a peregrine or a red-tail) In the suburbs? (likely a red-tailed hawk) On a bridge? (either bird) On a light pole over the highway? (likely a red-tail) In a tree? (likely a red-tail) Standing on your picnic table? (likely a red-tail) Standing on the ground? (likely a red-tail) …But in June a juvenile peregrine might be found in some of the “red-tail” places. However identification is more challenging in June and early July when the juvenile peregrines are flying around town. What time of year is it? Peregrines and red-tails live in western Pennsylvania year round so the time of year doesn’t eliminate either bird due to migration. If the bird does not have these features it’s neither a falcon nor a hawk and you can stop right there. Is it a bird of prey? Birds of prey eat meat so they have hooked beaks (see the tip of the beak) and talons (big claws). To make this manageable I’ll address the most common identification question faced by city folks: Is this bird a peregrine falcon or a red-tailed hawk? First, ask yourself several key questions. In western Pennsylvania you can see up to nine hawk and three falcon species depending on time of year and habitat. Right off the bat I’m going to narrow the scope. Today I’ll tell you how to identify the birds yourself. Telling the difference between a falcon and a hawk is a common identification problem, so common that people often ask me for help. How could she be sure it’s not a peregrine? Katie Cunningham sent me photographs of the bird and asked, “Is this a falcon or a hawk?” She guessed it was a hawk and she was right (it’s an immature red-tailed hawk). Juvenile birds don’t sport their red tail feathers until the start of their second year.Last Thursday at lunchtime a bird of prey caused quite a stir in downtown Pittsburgh when it perched on a light fixture and very publicly ate a pigeon. During the winter, they can be seen from the trails sitting in a pair, out hunting prey or flying high above their nesting territory.Īdult red-tailed hawks only weigh between 3 and 4 pounds. Metroparks such as Wildwood, Oak Openings, Secor, Fallen Timbers Battlefield and Pearson are home to nesting red-tailed hawks in March, April and May. They are beneficial to local ecosystems and crucial to maintaining an important balance by helping to keep the populations of prey species healthy and in check. Swift diving maneuvers also enhance their hunting abilities, as they may reach speeds of 120 mph at times.ĭuring these dives, their eyes are actually shielded from any dust or debris by a special, third eyelid, called a nictitating membrane - similar to having a convenient pair of goggles ready to go in an instant.Īs predators at the top of the food chain, raptors like the red-tailed hawk have been identified as key indicators of ecosystem health. In addition to their other amazing hunting abilities, red-tails possess a good sense of hearing and also an incredibly magnified sense of vision that is eight times better than ours! In flight, they can spot a rodent or shrew on the ground from 100 feet in the air as they scan the landscape below. This species is part of the “buteo” group of raptors - “bulky” yet skilled predators built for soaring the skies with a wingspan of around four feet wide. They usually seek out the edges of farm fields or open meadows looking for easy prey. Red-tails can be found almost anywhere above and among our own urban backyards, agricultural fields, wetlands and forests. Most of us have probably spied these widespread, highly efficient hunters more than once, either on the move, flying high in the sky, or waiting quietly for a rodent, snake or small mammal to wander by for a quick meal. Its robust, lurking silhouette is sometimes hard to miss along the interstate or a rural road perched on a tree, utility line or pole. ![]() A red-tailed hawk can easily be identified from a vehicle going 55 mph. ![]()
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