

The female lays anywhere from 1 to 5 eggs, usually in early April. Their nests, which may be used several years in a row, are about 28-38 inches wide and up to 3 feet tall.ġ6. Red-tailed hawks aren’t at breeding age until they are around 3 years old.ġ5. Red-tailed Hawks build nests in a tall trees, on cliff ledges, high up on billboards, and other places that give them a commanding view of the landscape beneath.ġ4. Red-tails are monogamous birds and mate with the same individual for many years only changing mates when one dies.ġ3. Sometimes they will lock talons and plummet towards the ground before breaking apart.ġ2.

Red-tailed Hawks put on amazing aerial displays during courtship when the male and female soar together in circles before mating. Red-tailed hawk breeding, nesting, juveniles image: Mike’s Birds – CC 2.0ġ1. The Red-tailed hawk is federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and can’t be hunted or harassed in any way without a special permit from the U.S. Red-tailed Hawks have increased and extended their range over the last centuryġ0. Red-tailed Hawks are not endangered and the population is steadily increasing.ĩ. This number accounts for about 90% of the global Red-tailed Hawk population. There are almost 2 million nesting hawks in North America. Red-tailed hawk range and population image credit: Ĩ. They stay in the same territory their whole lives, usually just about 2 square miles, but that area may be as big as 10 square miles. Red-tails are highly adaptable to their environments and can be found in a number of different places including open woodlands, deserts, grasslands, fields, parks, and along roadsides.ħ. They are not above stealing prey from other raptors. Among their favorite in the snake category are Rattlesnakes and Bull Snakes.ĥ. Red-tails do eat reptiles which includes snakes. Juveniles however are growing and need to eat more often than adults.Ĥ. Adult Red-tailed hawks don’t have to eat every day and may fast once a week. They are occasionally seen hunting in pairs and blocking off escape routes for their prey.ģ. Do Red-tailed Hawks eat cats or dogs? No you don’t have to worry about that, it’s extremely rare.Ģ. They also enjoy eating other birds, fish, and reptiles. The Red-tailed hawk’s diet consists mainly of small mammals and rodents including squirrels and mice. They really are some of the coolest birds of prey in North America so let’s get right into some amazing red-tailed hawk facts! Interesting facts about Red-tailed hawks Red-tailed hawk dietġ. You probably pass them regularly and don’t even realize it. They are excellent hunters and there are loads of interesting facts about Red-tailed hawks. The Red-tailed hawk is the most common species of hawk in North America and can be seen soaring above open fields looking for prey, sitting atop telephone poles looking for prey, or on a tree branch… yes, looking for prey.
