Red-tailed Hawk

Buteo jamaicensis

The Red-tailed hawk is probably the most commonly seen diurnal raptor in North America. They are found in a variety of fairly open habitats and can be seen year round throughout the continental United States. They are often seen perched on utility poles or dead trees near roadways looking out for small to medium sized mammals and are occasionally seen eating carrion by the highway. As one might imagine, many of the Red-tails that come through the ICBP medical clinic have been involved in collisions with cars. While the adult’s red tail is often the first field mark that is used to identify this species, their dark “belly band” is often a better identifier as it is present in the juveniles as well.

Red-tailed hawk “1038” has been part of the ICBP educational team for over ten years. When she arrived at the center, her apparent injuries, as well as the accounts of those who found her near the highway, suggested that she had been hit by a car. Her radiograph supported this case but also revealed 13 small, round foreign bodies scattered throughout her wings, legs and torso: lead shotgun pellets. If ingested, lead is highly toxic to birds, but 1038 has remained quite healthy with several of the lead pellets lodged in her soft tissue.

The first nine years of 1038’s role at the ICBP consisted primarily of school visits and educational presentations throughout South Carolina. Thousands of children and adults were awed by her size (nearly 1500g) and beauty. Currently, 1038 is enjoying her retirement from programs where she shares a Display Enclosure at the Center with another Red-tailed hawk. For the last two years, 1038 has produced eggs in her enclosure and last year she served as a surrogate parent for an orphaned Red-tailed hawk chick!