Facts

Did you know...

• Red-tails are very susceptible to albinism.

• Red-tails will often use power lines as perches.

  

• The red-tail is often the victim of car accidents, shooting, and steel traps.

• Red-tails are a sign of good luck in the Mescalero Apache tradition (Louie Chavez, personal communication).

• The Red-tailed hawk has a thrilling, raspy scream that sounds exactly like a raptor should sound.  At least, that’s what Hollywood directors seem to think. Whenever a hawk or eagle appears onscreen, no matter what species, the shrill cry on the soundtrack is almost always from a Red-tailed hawk.

• Birds are amazingly adapted for life in the air. The Red-tailed hawk is one of the largest birds you’ll see in North America, yet even the biggest females weigh in at only about 3 pounds. A similar-sized small dog might weigh 10 times that.

• The oldest known Red-tailed Hawk was 28 years 10 months old.

  

• A red-tailed hawk can fly 35 to 40 mph.
  

• There is no room for eye muscles in their small heads so they must move their heads to look around.
  

•  Red-tailed hawks have large brow ridges over their eyes. The ridge acts like a visor or a baseball cap to keep the sun out of their eyes when they hunt.