Red-tailed Hawk

Guest blog post by Steven Price, President of Bird Studies Canada. 

One of the most likely hawks for Canadians to see from their garden is the Red-tailed Hawk, even if you live in a city.  And it’s hard to take a drive in farm country or along a freeway without seeing at least one, if not several, soaring over fields or perched on telephone poles and lamp posts.  Red-tails are large hawks, with long, rounded wings, a broad tail, and a few to many brown streaks on the belly.

Adults usually have a reddish-brown tail, while tails of juveniles are brown-striped.

Red-tails eat mostly mammals, usually rabbits or rodents, but are not considered a threat to your dog in the backyard.  These exciting birds can be seen in three seasons across most of Canada, and even during winter in southern, warmer reaches of the country.  Scan the skies frequently from your backyard or farm, and soon you will be familiar with this impressive hawk – I never tire of seeing one soar over!  And listen for its raspy kee-yeer call, which Blue Jays will sometimes imitate, perhaps to scare other birds from your feeder!

Steven Price
President
Bird Studies Canada