December 11, 2013
Red-tailed Hawk
Our largest - and most common - hawk, with a 50-inch wingspan, the Red-tail soars over meadows and shrubby areas looking for small animals to swoop down upon and devour. Red-tails are easy to recognize by their white breasts with a mottled 'belly band- across the middle. Their wings are broad and light underneath. Adults' tails are red-brown as seen from above or from below with sunlight shining through. They are often seen perching, like this one, high on an open branch.