Red-tailed Hawk

Buteo jamaicensis

Year-round in CharlotteCommon
Red Tailed Hawk (Havell pl. 51) — engraved plate of the Red-tailed Hawk
Red Tailed Hawk (Havell pl. 51) · Robert Havell after John James Audubon · CC0

The take

The big hawk circling the interstate median; the cinnamon tail confirms it.

How to ID it

  • Large hawk with very broad rounded wings and a short, wide tail
  • Rich brown above, pale below with a streaked belly; adult tail cinnamon-red above
  • Soars in wide circles over open fields with heavy wingbeats, sometimes hovering into the wind

Field marks at a glance

Size
large
Head
brown
Call
raspy screaming kee-eeeee-arr

Where & when

Year-round in Charlotte

Learn more

Sources