| MRCC Ambassador Raptors |
| Sammy Red-Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) Adult Female Weight: 3 pounds Wingspan; 54 inches Length: 25 inches |
Red-Tailed Hawks are buteos; hawks that have broad, rounded wings and broad tails. They
soar high above grasslands and agricultural areas searching for prey. They will also hunt
for prey by perching on a treetop, telephone pole, or other lookout. They prey mainly on
rodents, ground squirrels, rabbits, and reptiles.
Red-Tailed Hawks are the most common and widespread of hawks in North America and will
have many plumage variations across the country.
Red-Tailed Hawks will build nests in trees and on cliffs, sometimes building a new nest
because the old one is being used by a Great Horned Owl. One to three eggs are
incubated for about a month and the young start to fly when they are 6 to 7 weeks old.
Red-Tailed Hawks migrate to the southern United States for the winter, but some may stay in
Montana year round.
On display by permission of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
(Federal Permit #PRT-810728)
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This hawk was blown out of the
nest, as a nestling, during a
storm near Amsterdam, MT. in
June 1993. She was orphaned
nest, as a nestling, during a
storm near Amsterdam, MT. in
June 1993. She was orphaned
and had suffered a serious injury to her right eye during the fall from the nest. Since she
was such a young bird, she is non-releasable due to permanent blindness in her right eye.
was such a young bird, she is non-releasable due to permanent blindness in her right eye.
| photo by Ellen Goff |