Beautiful Red-tailed Hawk
by Robert Bales
Title
Beautiful Red-tailed Hawk
Artist
Robert Bales
Medium
Photograph - Photo
Description
While driving in the country, I found this red-tailed hawk perched in the trees, It was very cooperative by stay in one place while I took several photos. It was a good thing that my wife was with me since she was the one that spotted the hawk.
These beautiful birds are North America's most common hawks. They are found all over the continent, in Central America, and in the West Indies. The first of these hawks to be scientifically studied was found in Jamaica.
Red-tailed hawks are known for their brick-colored tails, but there are 14 subspecies of various colorations, and not all of them have this characteristic.
These birds of prey are also known as buzzard hawks and red hawks. By any name, they are keen-eyed and efficient hunters. Red-tails prefer open areas, such as fields or deserts, with high perching places nearby from which they can watch for prey. But these birds are adaptable and also dwell in mountains and tropical rain forests. Hawks have even embraced human habitats. They often perch on telephone poles and take advantage of the open spaces along the roadside to spot and seize mice, ground squirrels, rabbits, reptiles, or other prey.
Breeding season initiates a spectacular sequence of aerial acrobatics. Hawk pairs fly in large circles and gain great height before the male plunges into a deep dive and subsequent steep climb back to circling height. Later, the birds grab hold of one another with their talons and fall spiraling towards earth.
Red-tailed hawks are monogamous and may mate for life. They make stick nests high above the ground, in which the female lays one to five eggs each year. Both sexes incubate the eggs for four to five weeks, and feed the young from the time they hatch until they leave the nest about six weeks later.
Uploaded
January 21st, 2015
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Viewed 1,409 Times - Last Visitor from New York, NY on 04/17/2024 at 10:55 AM
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Comments (20)
William Tasker
Superb, Robert! Very cool. Thank you for submitting this fine natural shot of this identified wild bird. It is now featured on the homepage of Wild Birds Of The World - A Nature Photography Group. L/F
Bill And Deb Hayes
Robert: This is an outstanding capture of this majestic Red-Tailed Hawk. Feathers details are "spot-on". Colors are wonderful, overall clarity is second-to-none. Look at that eye !! WOW !! MAGNIFICENT !! SUPERB photography work here !! (L/F) Bill & Deb Hayes
Robert Bales replied:
Thanks so much for the wonderful comments and the LF!! So glad you enjoyed the image!!