red-tailed hawk
Russet-tailed raptor
A red-tailed hawk is a large North American bird of prey, the most common hawk on the continent.
Named for its distinctive rust-colored tail, it hunts rodents and small mammals from perches or while soaring on broad wings.
Its raspy, descending scream is the stock "hawk cry" in film and television soundtracks—often dubbed over eagles and other raptors.
Warm air columns
- updraftsAir moving skyward
- glidingEngineless aerial movement
- circlingMoving around a center
- wingspanTip-to-tip extent
altitude · effortless · hovering · airborne · currents · kettle · wind · ascend
Animal being hunted
- talonsHooked bird claws
- swoopRapid downward plunge
- pounceSudden attack leap
- ambushSurprise strike from concealment
stalking · capture · sharp-eyed · perch · territorial · apex predator · rodents · mice
Short-winged, long-tailed raptor
- kestrelSmall falcon, aerial hoverer
- eagleLarge predatory bird
- falconSwift bird of prey
- ospreyFish-catching bird of prey
harrier · goshawk · peregrine · sparrowhawk · buzzard · owl · vulture · merlin
Unenclosed rural land
- prairiesFlat treeless grasslands
- grasslandsOpen grassy terrain
- meadowsGrassland for grazing
- farmlandAgricultural terrain
roadside · telephone poles · fence posts · pastures · desert · scrubland · marshes · fields
High, harsh cry
- cryVocal expression of emotion
- raspyRough and grating
- piercingPenetrating or very sharp
- vocalizationProducing sounds with voice
Uppermost branches
- cliff ledgeHorizontal strip on rockface
- eggsReproductive cells in shells
- fledglingInexperienced newcomer
- nestlingUnfledged young bird
breeding · clutch · incubation · eyrie · mate · courtship · pair bond · brood
thermals
Warm air columns
wingspan · altitude · effortless · hovering · airborne · currents · kettle · wind · ascend · descent
prey
Animal being hunted
ambush · stalking · capture · sharp-eyed · perch · territorial · apex predator · rodents · mice · voles
accipiter
Short-winged, long-tailed raptor
osprey · harrier · goshawk · peregrine · sparrowhawk · buzzard · owl · vulture · merlin · caracara
open country
Unenclosed rural land
- prairiesFlat treeless grasslands
- grasslandsOpen grassy terrain
- meadowsGrassland for grazing
farmland · roadside · telephone poles · fence posts · pastures · desert · scrubland · marshes · fields · territory
screech
High, harsh cry
treetop
Uppermost branches
- cliff ledgeHorizontal strip on rockface
- eggsReproductive cells in shells
- fledglingInexperienced newcomer
nestling · breeding · clutch · incubation · eyrie · mate · courtship · pair bond · brood · hatchling
belly band
Strap encircling the midsection
rufous · mottled · streaked · cinnamon · barred · breast · underwing · feather patterns · coloration · immature
- redtails
- wildlifewhite-tailed deer, birds, mammals, elephant, reptiles
- birds of preybald eagle, golden eagle, falcon, kestrel, osprey
- North American wildlifebald eagle, grizzly bear, moose, gray wolf, pronghorn
- Plains wildlifebison, coyote, prairie dog, pronghorn, rattlesnake
- raptorseagle, falcon, owl, vulture, osprey
red-tailed hawkgolden eagle
Large brown bird of prey
bald eagle · harpy eagle · California condor · great horned owl · barn owl
red-tailed hawkperegrine falcon
High-speed avian predator
great horned owl · barn owl · flightless birds · penguin · ostrich
red-tailed hawkfield mouse
Small wild rodent
cottontail rabbit · vole · ground squirrel · garter snake · songbird
tail, hawk, redness, hawked, hawker, hawking, hawkish, tailbone, redtail