The red-tailed hawk is one of the largest and most common birds of prey in North America. It’s a familiar sight even to non-birders. At some point in your life, you have undoubtedly seen one of these magnificent raptors perched on a fence post or a billboard along the highway. In fact, the very best way to find a red-tailed hawk is to go for a drive!
When our kids were little, we made a game out of long car rides by offering them a twenty-five cent “bounty” for every red-tailed hawk they could find. It made an otherwise boring car ride a little more interesting—and a little more profitable! If the kids were particularly vigilant, even a relatively short car ride between Kalamazoo and Battle Creek could net them a dollar ($2.54 in today’s economy)
Why are red-tailed hawks so prolific along our roadways? It’s the trash. People are always throwing trash from their cars! The trash attracts the rodents and the rodents attract the hawks. Red-tailed hawks love hunting for mice, rats, squirrels, and voles, as well as rabbits, snakes, birds, bats, frogs, toads, insects, and carrion. They are considered “generalist predators,” a trait that has significantly contributed to their overall success and widespread distribution.
Red-tailed hawks are not only the most commonly seen raptors in North America, they are also the most commonly heard! In every commercial, movie, or TV show where a bald eagle is shown, the scream that you hear as a sound effect is a red-tailed hawk! The call of a bald eagle, a chittering, high-pitched sound, is apparently not macho enough for the big screen, but the thrilling raspy scream of the red-tailed hawk is. This substitution is made so often that most people don’t really know what a bald eagle sounds like!
Sometimes, people have mistaken red-tailed hawks for bald eagles flying overhead, especially if the eagle is a juvenile and hasn’t developed the distinctive white feathers on its head and tail like that of an adult. In flight, a red-tailed hawk has a similar shape as a bald eagle, but its wings are shorter and its head is smaller. For me, the best marker is the cream-colored belly and wings; red-tails have it, eagles don’t.
One of my favorite places to find a red-tailed hawk is the business park next door to where we live. There’s at least one hawk at the park that seems to have made it his home territory. I look for him every time I go through the park on a picture walk. He’s often perched high on a lamppost patiently surveying his kingdom. One day, not too long ago, we totally surprised each other! I was standing on a foot bridge taking pictures of ducks and he was off on a hunt somewhere; or so I thought! All of a sudden, he swooped in out of nowhere and landed on the railing of the foot bridge less than 20 feet from where I was standing! It took my breath away! But I quickly came to my senses and turned my camera slowly in his direction, hoping I wouldn’t frighten him away. In spite of my caution, he turned and looked at me. As we both stared into each other’s eyes through the close-up lens of my camera, I felt as if I could reach out and touch him. Before this unexpected and totally wonderful opportunity vanished, I pressed the shutter button. A millisecond later, he was gone! What a magical moment that turned out to be!
Next time you’re out for a drive (or a leisurely walk), look for the red-tailed hawks! You won’t get “rich” like our kids did, but you might be lucky enough to find your very own magical moment!
