Birds of prey or raptors fascinate people more than most other birds. Stealthy and powerful hunters, they instill fear and respect in the animal kingdom even when not in fierce attack mode. Mankind has even channeled a passion for them in the form of the ancient sport of falconry.
These birds that feed on small animals like rodents and often other birds belong in several avian families, including eagles, buzzards, owls, falcons and hawks. If you see a bird of prey soaring high in the sky or perched on a utility pole, it's most likely a red-tailed hawk because it's the most widespread and common raptor on the North American continent.
Of course it's the screech of the red-tailed hawk that helps set the bar for the ferocity that we associate with all birds of prey. It's a short, high-pierced scream that every Hollywood film uses when they want to portray the sound of a hunter like the much larger eagle. But in fact it's this common hawk's call alone, and one that shows its own mighty stature while it soars high overhead.
These birds that feed on small animals like rodents and often other birds belong in several avian families, including eagles, buzzards, owls, falcons and hawks. If you see a bird of prey soaring high in the sky or perched on a utility pole, it's most likely a red-tailed hawk because it's the most widespread and common raptor on the North American continent.
Of course it's the screech of the red-tailed hawk that helps set the bar for the ferocity that we associate with all birds of prey. It's a short, high-pierced scream that every Hollywood film uses when they want to portray the sound of a hunter like the much larger eagle. But in fact it's this common hawk's call alone, and one that shows its own mighty stature while it soars high overhead.
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| Red-tailed hawk near Green Valley. |
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| Red-tailed hawk near Green Valley. |
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| Red-tailed hawk near Green Valley. |
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| Red-tailed hawk near Green Valley. |
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| Red-tailed hawk near Picacho. |
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| Red-tailed hawk near Picacho. |
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| Red-tailed hawk in Phoenix just after the moment of attack on mourning doves in a palm tree. My best guess is that it only snatched some dried palm branches. |
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| Red-tailed hawk hunting close to ground over a Phoenix golf course. You can clearly see the bird's name-defining red tail. |
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| Red-tailed hawk hunting over a golf course in Phoenix. |
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| Red-tailed hawk hunting over a golf course in Phoenix. |
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| Red-tailed hawk in flight over the same golf course in Phoenix. |
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| Red-tailed hawk in flight over the same golf course in Phoenix. |
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| Red-tailed hawk close-up at Liberty Wildlife, a rescue and rehabilitation center in Phoenix. |
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| View of a red-tailed hawk's red tail at Liberty Wildlife in Phoenix. |
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| Red-tailed hawk at Liberty Wildlife in Phoenix. |
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| Red-tailed hawk close-up at Liberty Wildlife in Phoenix. |
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| Red-tailed hawk in a mid-air altercation with one of a pair of ravens over Watson Woods in Prescott. Can you hear his quintessential bird of prey screech like I can? |
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