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110-452: The park extends north and south, following a line of volcanic peaks. Popocatépetl is the southernmost peak, the highest in the park at 5,426 m (17,802 ft), and the second-highest in Mexico. It is volcanically active, with the latest eruptive period extending from 2005 to the present. Iztaccíhuatl (5,230 m (17,160 ft)) is north of Popocatépetl, and together form a range known as

220-562: A "soft, sleepy quality" that give way to occasional screams as they develop, but those are more likely to be a soft whistle rather than the harsh screams of the adults. Their latter hunger call, given from 11 days (as recorded in Alaska) to after fledgling (in California), is different, a two-syllabled, wailing klee-uk food cry exerted by the young when parents leave the nest or enter their field of vision. A strange mechanical sound "not very unlike

330-532: A breeder as Inuvik , Mackenzie River Delta and skirting the southern shores of Great Bear Lake and Great Slave Lake . Thereafter in northern Canada, breeding red-tails continue to northern Saskatchewan and across to north-central Ontario east to central Quebec and the Maritime Provinces of Canada, and south continuously to Florida. No substantial gaps occur throughout the entire contiguous United States where breeding red-tailed hawks do not occur. Along

440-732: A companion of the Pico de Orizaba (4,580 metres (15,030 ft)). The mountains are home to the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt pine-oak forests , one of the Mesoamerican pine-oak forests sub- ecoregions . The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt has many endemic species, including the Transvolcanic jay ( Aphelocoma ultramarina ). Volcanic ash make soils in the region very fertile, which (especially coupled with elevation making tropical climate milder) has led to high human population densities in

550-542: A complex array of what could be multiple factors affecting the deformation of the belt. It exhibits many volcanic features, not limited to large stratovolcanoes, including monogenetic volcano cones, shield volcanoes , lava dome complexes, and major calderas . Prior to the formation of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, an older, but related volcanic belt, the Sierra Madre Occidental occupied

660-443: A dark belly band, but compared to red-tailed hawks have a distinctly broader head, their remiges are much whiter looking with very small, dark primary tips, they lack the red-tail's diagnostic patagial marks and usually also lack the dark subterminal tail-band, and ferruginous hawks have totally feathered tarsi. With its whitish head, the ferruginous hawk is most similar to Krider's red-tailed hawks, especially in immature plumage, but

770-461: A day there. The most northerly migratory individuals may not reach breeding grounds until June, even adults. Immature hawks migrate later than adults in spring on average, but not, generally speaking, in autumn. In the northern Great Lakes, immatures return in late May to early June, when adults are already well into their nesting season and must find unoccupied ranges. In Alaska, adults tend to migrate before immatures in early to mid-September, to

880-444: A distinctive black patagium marking. The wing coloring of adults and immatures is similar but for typical pale morph immatures having somewhat heavier brownish markings. Though the markings and color vary across the subspecies, the basic appearance of the red-tailed hawk is relatively consistent. Overall, this species is blocky and broad in shape, often appearing (and being) heavier than other Buteos of similar length. They are

990-802: A few North American migrants may annually move as far south as breeding red-tailed hawks happen to occur, i.e. in Central America to as far south Panama. However, a few records were reported of wintering migrant red-tails turning up in Colombia , the first records of them anywhere in South America. Spring northward movements may commence as early as late February, with peak numbers usually occurring in late March and early April. Seasonal counts may include up to 19,000 red-tails in spring at Derby Hill hawk watch, in Oswego, New York , sometimes more than 5,000 are recorded in

1100-449: A full crop or are in the midst of poor or overly windy weather. Adult wintering red-tails tend to perch more prominently than immatures do, which select lower or more secluded perches. Immatures are often missed in winter bird counts, unless they are being displaced by dominant adults. Generally, though, immatures can seem to recognize that they are less likely to be attacked by adults during winter and can perch surprisingly close to them. Age

1210-480: A hawk's diet. In total, nearly 500 prey species have been recorded in their diet, almost as many as great horned owls have been recorded as taking. When 27 North American studies are reviewed, mammals make up 65.3% of the diet by frequency, 20.9% by birds, 10.8% by reptiles, 2.8% by invertebrates, and 0.2% by amphibians and fish. The geometric mean body mass of prey taken by red-tailed hawks in North America

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1320-433: A high pitch and slurs downward. This cry is often described as sounding similar to a steam whistle. The red-tailed hawk frequently vocalizes while hunting or soaring, but vocalizes loudest and most persistently in defiance or anger, in response to a predator or a rival hawk's intrusion into its territory. At close range, it makes a croaking guh-runk , possibly as a warning sound. Nestlings may give peeping notes with

1430-454: A majority of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt but smaller volumes of intraplate-like lavas, potassium rich rocks, and adakites are associated with the area. Middle Miocene adakitic (more felsic) rocks are found furthest from the trench and along the volcanic front of the central Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt during the Pliocene - Quaternary . It has been suggested that slab melting contributed to

1540-764: A migrating female immature from Goshute Mountains , Nevada , the highest from a wintering female in Wisconsin ). Some sources claim the largest females can weigh up to 2,000 g (4.4 lb), but whether this is in reference to wild hawks (as opposed to those in captivity or used for falconry) is not clear. The largest known survey of body mass in red-tailed hawks is still credited to Craighead and Craighead (1956), who found 100 males to average 1,028 g (2.266 lb) and 108 females to average 1,244 g (2.743 lb). However, these figures were apparently taken from labels on museum specimens, from natural history collections in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania , without note to

1650-523: A mildly paler headed and tend to show a darker back than adults with more apparent pale wing-feather edges above (for descriptions of dark morph juveniles from B. j. calurus , which is also generally apt for description of rare dark morphs of other races, see under that subspecies description). In immature red-tailed hawks of all morphs, the tail is a light brown above with numerous small dark brown bars of roughly equal width, but these tend to be much broader on dark morph birds. Even in young red-tails,

1760-399: A notably greater danger to them. The most aggressive and dangerous attacker as such is likely to be various crows or other corvids , i.e. American crows ( Corvus brachyrhynchos ), because a mobbing group (or "murder") of them can number up to as many as 75 crows, which may cause grievous physical harm to a solitary hawk, and if the hawks are nesting, separate the parent hawks and endanger

1870-553: A now active Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. By the Middle Miocene, the transition from the silicic to more mafic compositions was complete, and can be considered the beginning of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. Due to the orthogonal orientation of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt in relation to the trend of Mexican tectonic provinces, its Pre- Cretaceous basement is highly heterogeneous. The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt east of 101°W rests upon Precambrian terranes, assembled into

1980-552: A perch, but they can vary their hunting techniques where prey and habitat demand it. Because they are so common and easily trained as capable hunters, in the United States they are the most commonly captured hawks for falconry . Falconers are permitted to take only passage hawks (which have left the nest, are on their own, but are less than a year old) so as to not affect the breeding population. Passage red-tailed hawks are also preferred by falconers because they have not yet developed

2090-674: A whole, rivals the peregrine falcon and the great horned owl among raptorial birds in the use of diverse habitats in North America. Beyond the high Arctic (as they discontinue as a breeder at the tree line), few other areas exist where red-tailed hawks are absent or rare in North and Central America. Some areas of unbroken forest , especially lowland tropical forests, rarely host red-tailed hawks, although they can occupy forested tropical highlands surprisingly well. In deserts, they can only occur where some variety of arborescent growth or ample rocky bluffs or canyons occur. The red-tailed hawk

2200-505: Is a member of the genus Buteo , a group of medium-sized raptors with robust bodies and broad wings. Members of this genus are known as "buzzards" in Eurasia, but "hawks" in North America. Under current classification, the genus includes about 29 species, the second-most diverse of all extant accipitrid genera behind only Accipiter . The buzzards of Eurasia and Africa are mostly part of the genus Buteo , although two other small genera within

2310-528: Is about 187 g (6.6 oz) based on a pair of compilation studies from across the continent, regionally varying at least from 43.4 to 361.4 g (1.53 to 12.75 oz). Staple prey (excluding invertebrates) has been claimed to weigh from 15 to 2,114 g (0.033 to 4.661 lb), ranging roughly from the size of a small mouse or lizard to the size of a black-tailed jackrabbit ( Lepus californicus ). The daily food requirements range from 7 to 11.2% of their own body weight, so that about three voles or

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2420-486: Is also a distinct physiographic province of the larger Sierra Madre System physiographic division. The Sierra de Ajusco-Chichinauhtzin also forms part of the Belt. The highest point, also the highest point in Mexico, is Pico de Orizaba (5,636 metres (18,491 ft)) also known as Citlaltépetl, located at 19°01′N 97°16′W  /  19.017°N 97.267°W  / 19.017; -97.267 . This, and several of

2530-815: Is bordered by the North American Plate (NAM) and the Caribbean Plate to the northeast, the Pacific Plate to the west, and to the south by the Nazca Plate. The Cocos and Rivera are relatively young oceanic plates (25 and 10 Ma) that are subducting along the Middle American Trench at different convergence rates (Rivera = ~30 mm/yr and the Cocos = ~ 50–90 mm/yr). Commonly found subduction related rocks such as calc-alkaline rocks volumetrically occupy

2640-438: Is by far the most efficient method of flight for red-tailed hawks, so is used more often than not. Active flight is slow and deliberate, with deep wing beats. Wing beats are somewhat less rapid in active flight than in most other Buteo hawks, even heavier species such as ferruginous hawks tend to flap more swiftly, due to the morphology of the wings. In wind, it occasionally hovers on beating wings and remains stationary above

2750-574: Is highly conspicuous to humans in much of its daily behavior. Most birds in resident populations, which are well more than half of all red-tailed hawks, usually split nonbreeding-season activity between territorial soaring flight and sitting on a perch. Often, perching is for hunting purposes, but many sit on a tree branch for hours, occasionally stretching on a single wing or leg to keep limber, with no signs of hunting intent. Wintering typical pale-morph hawks in Arkansas were found to perch in open areas near

2860-488: Is highly variable and reflects their status as opportunistic generalists, but in North America, they are most often predators of small mammals such as rodents of an immense diversity of families and species . Prey that is terrestrial and at least partially diurnal is preferred, so types such as ground squirrels are preferred where they naturally occur. Over much of the range, smallish rodents such as voles alternated with larger rabbits and hares often collectively form

2970-687: Is isolated from breeding birds in Nicaragua. Further east, breeding red-tailed hawks occur in the West Indies in north Bahamas (i.e. Grand Bahama , Abaco and Andros ) and all larger islands (such as Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico) and into the northern Lesser Antilles ( Virgin Islands , Saint Barthélemy , Saba , Saint Kitts , and Nevis , being rare as a resident on Saint Eustatius and are probably extinct on Saint Martin ). Their typical winter range stretches from southern Canada south throughout

3080-471: Is not a red-tailed hawk. It is especially used in depictions of the bald eagle , which contributes to the common misconception that it is a bald eagle cry; actual bald eagle vocalizations are far softer and more chirpy than those of a red-tailed hawk. The red-tailed hawk is one of the most widely distributed of all raptors in the Americas. It occupies the largest breeding range of any diurnal raptor north of

3190-511: Is now placed in the genus Buteo that was erected by French naturalist Bernard Germain de Lacépède in 1799. The red-tailed hawk is a member of the subfamily Buteoninae , which includes about 55 currently recognized species. Unlike many lineages of accipitrids, which seemed to have radiated out of Africa or south Asia, the Buteoninae clearly originated in the Americas based on fossil records and current species distributions (more than 75% of

3300-402: Is one of the most common members within the genus of Buteo in North America or worldwide. The red-tailed hawk is one of three species colloquially known in the United States as the " chickenhawk ", though it rarely preys on standard-sized chickens. The bird is sometimes also referred to as the red-tail for short, when the meaning is clear in context. Red-tailed hawks can acclimate to all

3410-485: Is present in most color variations. This feature is variable in eastern hawks and generally absent in some light subspecies (i.e. B. j. fuertesi ). Most adult red-tails have a dark-brown nape and upper head, which gives them a somewhat hooded appearance, while the throat can variably present a lighter brown "necklace". Especially in younger birds, the underside may be otherwise covered with dark-brown spotting, and some adults may too manifest this stippling. The back

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3520-478: Is seasonal fluctuations; hawks tend to be heavier in winter than during migration or especially during the trying summer breeding season, and also due to clinal variation. Furthermore, immature hawks are usually lighter in mass than their adult counterparts despite having somewhat longer wings and tails. Male red-tailed hawks may weigh from 690 to 1,300 g (1.52 to 2.87 lb) and females may weigh 801 to 1,723 g (1.766 to 3.799 lb) (the lowest figure from

3630-480: Is sometimes considered a separate species ( B. harlani ). The red-tailed hawk is one of the largest members of the genus Buteo , typically weighing from 690 to 1,600 g (1.5 to 3.5 lb) and measuring 45–65 cm (18–26 in) in length, with a wingspan from 110–141 cm (3 ft 7 in – 4 ft 8 in). This species displays sexual dimorphism in size, with females averaging about 25% heavier than males. The diet of red-tailed hawks

3740-470: Is the most significant consideration of wintering hawks' hierarchy, but size does factor in, as larger immatures (presumably usually females) are less likely to displaced than smaller ones. Dark adult red-tailed hawks appear to be harder to locate when perched than other red-tails. In Oklahoma, for example, wintering adult Harlan's hawks were rarely engaged in fights or chased by other red-tails. These hawks tended to gather in regional pockets and frequently

3850-470: Is the most variable subspecies and has three main color morphs: light, dark, and intermediate or rufous. The dark and intermediate morphs constitute 10–20% of the population in the Western United States, but seem to constitute only 1–2% of B. j. calurus in western Canada. A whitish underbelly with a dark brown band across the belly, formed by horizontal streaks in feather patterning,

3960-425: Is the only North American hawk with a rufous tail and a blackish patagium marking on the leading edge of its wing (which is obscured only on dark morph adults and Harlan's hawks by similarly dark-colored feathers). Other larger adult Buteo  spp. in North America usually have obvious distinct markings that are absent in red-tails, whether the rufous-brown "beard" of Swainson's hawks ( B. swainsonii ) or

4070-430: Is usually a slightly darker brown than elsewhere with paler scapular feathers, ranging from tawny to white, forming a variable imperfect "V" on the back. The tail of most adults, which gives this species its name, is rufous brick-red above with a variably sized, black subterminal band and generally appears light buff-orange from below. In comparison, the typical pale immatures (i.e., less than two years old) typically have

4180-440: Is very similar to the red-tailed hawk, being about the same size and possessing the same wing structure, and having more or less parallel nesting and hunting habits. Physically, however, rufous-tailed hawk adults do not attain a bright brick-red tail as do red-tailed hawks, instead retaining a dark brownish-cinnamon tail with many blackish crossbars similar to juvenile red-tailed hawks. Another, more well-known, close relative to

4290-536: The Equator within a species) as one of the northernmost subspecies, B. j. alascensis , is the second smallest race based on linear dimensions and that two of the most southerly occurring races in the United States, B. j. fuertesi and B. j. umbrinus , respectively, are the largest proportioned of all red-tailed hawks. Red-tailed hawks tend have a relatively short but broad tails and thick, chunky wings. Although often described as long-winged,

4400-550: The Madagascar buzzard ( B. brachypterus ). All six species, although varying notably in size and plumage characteristics, in the alleged species complex that contains the red-tailed hawk share with it the feature of the blackish patagium marking, which is missing in most other Buteo  spp. At least 14 recognized subspecies of B. jamaicensis are described, which vary in range and in coloration. Not all authors accept every subspecies, though, particularly some of

4510-649: The North American Plate along the northern end of the Middle America Trench formed the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt is a unique volcanic belt; it is not parallel to the Middle American Trench, and many of the main stratovolcanoes are positioned obliquely to the general position of the arc. In addition to the physiographic complexities, igneous compositions vary—dominant subduction-related products contrast with intraplate geo-chemical signatures. The many intriguing aspects of

Iztaccíhuatl–Popocatépetl National Park - Misplaced Pages Continue

4620-1035: The Orizaba long-tailed shrew ( Sorex orizabae ) and Phillips's kangaroo rat ( Dipodomys phillipsii ). 161 species of birds have been recorded in the park. 75% of the birds are resident, while the remaining 25% are migratory or occasional visitors. Resident birds include the red-tailed hawk ( Buteo jamaicensis formosus ), peregrine falcon ( Falco peregrinus ), long-tailed wood partridge ( Dendrortyx macroura ), white-naped swift ( Streptoprocne semicollaris ), Aztec thrush ( Ridgwayia pinicola ), Sierra Madre sparrow ( Xenospiza baileyi ), bumblebee hummingbird ( Selasphorus heloisa ), gray-barred wren ( Campylorhynchus megalopterus ), spotted wren ( Campylorhynchus gularis ), russet nightingale-thrush ( Catharus occidentalis ), rufous-backed thrush ( Turdus rufopalliatus ), ocellated thrasher ( Toxostoma ocellatum ), blue mockingbird ( Melanotis caerulescens ), and Striped sparrow ( Oriturus superciliosus ). Native amphibians include

4730-554: The Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico between 18°30'N and 21°30'N, resting on the southern edge of the North American Plate . This approximately 1000 kilometer long, 90–230 km broad structure is an east–west, active, continental volcanic arc ; encompassing an area of approximately 160,000 km . Over several million years, the subduction of the Rivera and Cocos plates beneath

4840-607: The Sierra Nevada . The valley of Río Frío, where Mexican Federal Highway 150 between Mexico City and Puebla passes through the park, is the northern end of the Sierra Nevada. The northern portion of the park covers the Sierra de Río Frío, made up of three volcanic peaks – Mount Tláloc at (4,120 m), Telapón (4060 m), and Papayo (3,600 m) Tláloc and Telapón, the northern and middle peaks, formed between 5 and 2 million years ago. Papayo,

4950-593: The Transvolcanic Belt and locally as the Sierra Nevada ( Snowy Mountain Range ), is an active volcanic belt that covers central-southern Mexico . Several of its highest peaks have snow all year long, and during clear weather, they are visible to a large percentage of those who live on the many high plateaus from which these volcanoes rise. The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt spans across Central-Southern Mexico from

5060-411: The biomes within their range, occurring on the edges of non-ideal habitats such as dense forests and sandy deserts. The red-tailed hawk occupies a wide range of habitats and altitudes, including deserts , grasslands (from small meadows to the treed fringes of more extensive prairies ), coniferous and deciduous forests, agricultural fields , and urban areas . Its latitudinal limits fall around

5170-634: The continental United States , typical weights of males can range from 840.8 g (1.854 lb) (for migrating males in Chelan County, Washington ) to 1,031 g (2.273 lb) (for male hawks found dead in Massachusetts ), and females ranged from 1,057.9 g (2.332 lb) (migrants in the Goshutes ) to 1,373 g (3.027 lb) (for females diagnosed as B. j. borealis in western Kansas ). Size variation in body mass reveals that

5280-424: The ridged tree frog ( Dryophytes plicatus ) and four salamanders – Pseudoeurycea leprosa , Pseudoeurycea cephalica , common splayfoot salamander ( Chiropterotriton chiropterus ), and mountain stream salamander ( Ambystoma altamirani ). A decree by President Lázaro Cárdenas on November 8, 1935 established a national park on Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl. The decree established the park's lower boundary at

5390-696: The tree line in the subarctic and it is absent from the high Arctic . Generally it favors varied habitats with open woodland , woodland edge and open terrain . It is legally protected in Canada , Mexico , and the United States by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act . The 14 recognized subspecies vary in appearance and range, varying most often in color, and in the west of North America, red-tails are particularly often strongly polymorphic , with individuals ranging from almost white to nearly all black. The subspecies Harlan's hawk ( B. j. harlani )

5500-596: The 3000-meter contour, excluding the town of Río Frío de Juárez . A second decree on 13 March, 1937 confirmed that the forest lands of the Hacienda of Zoquiapan, in what is now the northern part of the park, were included in the park. On February 11, 1948, President Miguel Alemán Valdés issued a decree that reset the boundary of the park at the 3,600 meter contour, decreasing the park in size. The Mexican Government created an industrial unit for forest exploitation ( Unidad Industrial de Explotación Forestal ) to supply wood pulp to

5610-653: The Balsas. The Balsas empties southwards into the Pacific Ocean. The surface waters and groundwater from the park are important sources of fresh water for the Mexico City metropolitan area, to the west in the Valley of Mexico, and the cities of Puelbla and Tlaxcala to the east in the upper basin of the Balsas. The predominant plant communities in the park are montane conifer forests and alpine grasslands. Conifer forests extend from

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5720-661: The Mexican border, just ahead of the American kestrel ( Falco sparverius ). While the peregrine falcon ( Falco peregrinus ) has a greater latitudinal distribution as a nester in North America, its range as a breeding species is far more sporadic and sparse than that of red-tailed hawks. The red-tailed hawk breeds from nearly north-central Alaska, the Yukon , and a considerable portion of the Northwest Territories , there reaching as far as

5830-623: The Oaxaquia microcontinent and on the Paleozoic Mixteco terrane . West of 101°W, the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt resides on top of the Guerro composite terrane—a make up of Jurassic to Cretaceous marine marginal arcs, which are built on Triassic –Early Jurassic siliclastic turbidites . Assemblage of these basement rocks results with a thickness of 50–55 km east of 101°W and 35–40 km west of 101°W. The subducting plates originated from

5940-608: The Pacific, their range includes all of Baja California , including Islas Marías , and Socorro Island in the Revillagigedo Islands . On the mainland, breeding red-tails are found continuously to Oaxaca , then experience a brief gap at the Isthmus of Tehuantepec thereafter subsequently continuing from Chiapas through central Guatemala on to northern Nicaragua. To the south, the population in highlands from Costa Rica to central Panama

6050-770: The San Rafael paper factory from trees harvested in the former park lands. A secretarial agreement abolished the unit on February 11, 1992. The park is administered by the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (CONANP), a federal agency of the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources . The park was closed to the public from March 2020 to March 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico . Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt ( Spanish : Eje Volcánico Transversal ), also known as

6160-570: The adakitic imprint on the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, prompted by the prolonged flat subduction of the Cocos Plate. Flat slab subduction can commonly be explained by oceanic plateau subduction and a fast overriding plate. Central Mexico's flat subduction is not evident. The Trans-Mexican Volcanic belt's flat slab is confined between ~101°W and 96°W; this region may be explained by thicker continental crust . Existence of thick strong crust combined with decreasing fluid input contributed to narrowing

6270-404: The adult behaviors that would make them more difficult to train. The red-tailed hawk was formally described in 1788 by German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin under the binomial name Falco jamaicensis . Gmelin based his description on the "cream-coloured buzzard" described in 1781 by John Latham in his A General Synopsis of Birds . The type locality is Jamaica. The red-tailed hawk

6380-624: The area. Resuming in the Eocene , post- Laramide deformation, subduction related volcanism formed the Sierra Madre Occidental silic volcanic arc at a paleo-subduction zone off the coast of Baja California , before the peninsula rifted away. From the Late Eocene to the Middle Miocene , counterclockwise rotation of the volcanic arc transitioned the once active Sierra Madre Occidental to

6490-536: The asthenospheric wedge, increasing viscosity and suction forces, which led to flat subduction—preventing the oceanic plate from entering the mantle. From the west, the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt runs from Colima and Jalisco east through northern Michoacán , southern Guanajuato , southern Querétaro , México State , southern Hidalgo , the Distrito Federal , northern Morelos , Puebla , and Tlaxcala , to central Veracruz . The Mexican Plateau lies to

6600-400: The belt have spurred several hypotheses based on a typical subduction scenario: intra-plate leaky transform faults , mantle plumes , continental rifting , and jump of the eastward Pacific Rise. These features are partially related to the reactivation of early fault systems during the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt's evolution. The main brittle fault system's geometry, kinematics, and age define

6710-462: The belt that now sometimes strain the environment. Red-tailed hawk Buteo borealis Buteo borealis ( lapsus ) Falco borealis Gmelin Falco harlani Audubon The red-tailed hawk ( Buteo jamaicensis ) is a bird of prey that breeds throughout most of North America, from the interior of Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies . It

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6820-439: The bird attains full maturity over the course of 3–4 years, the iris slowly darkens into a reddish-brown, which is the adult eye-color in all races. Seen in flight, adults usually have dark brown along the lower edge of the wings, against a mostly pale wing, which bares light brownish barring. Individually, the underwing coverts can range from all dark to off-whitish (most often more heavily streaked with brown) which contrasts with

6930-639: The breakup of the Farallon Plate at approximately 23 Ma, which created two plates at equatorial latitudes, the Cocos Plate and southern Nazca Plate . The Rivera Plate was the last fragment detached from the Cocos Plate, becoming a microplate at around 10 Ma. This small plate is bounded by the Rivera fracture zone, the East Pacific Rise , the Tamayo fracture zone, and the Middle American Trench. The larger Cocos Plate

7040-499: The bulk of the diet. Large numbers of birds and reptiles can occur in the diet in several areas, and can even be the primary foods. Meanwhile, amphibians , fish and invertebrates can seem rare in the hawk's regular diet, but they are not infrequently taken by immature hawks. Red-tailed hawks may survive on islands absent of native mammals on diets variously including invertebrates such as crabs , as well as lizards or birds. Like many Buteo species, they most often hunt from

7150-409: The colorful rufous belly and shoulder markings and striking black-and-white mantle of red-shouldered hawks (also the small "windows" seen at the end of their primaries). In perched individuals, even as silhouettes, the shape of large Buteo  spp. may be distinctive, such as the wingtips overhanging the tail in several other species, but not in red-tails. North American Buteo  spp. range from

7260-737: The contiguous United States, while the latter are still in the midst of brooding fledglings. Not infrequently, several autumn hawk watches in Ontario, Quebec, and the northern United States record 4,500–8,900 red-tailed hawks migrating through each fall, with records of up to 15,000 in a season at Hawk Ridge hawk watch in Duluth, Minnesota . Unlike some other Buteo  spp., such as Swainson's hawks and broad-winged hawks, red-tailed hawks do not usually migrate in groups, instead passing by one-by-one, and only migrate on days when winds are favorable. Most migrants do not move past southern Mexico in late autumn, but

7370-799: The contrary of other areas, probably as heavy snowfall begins. Yearlings that were banded in southwestern Idaho stayed for about 2 months after fledging, and then traveled long distances with a strong directional bias, with 9 of 12 recovered southeast of the study area- six of these moved south to coastal lowlands in Mexico] and as far as Guatemala, 4,205 km (2,613 mi) from their initial banding. In California, 35 hawks were banded as nestlings; 26 were recovered at less than 50 miles away, with multidirectional juvenile dispersals. Nestlings banded in Southern California sometimes actually traveled north as far as 1,190 km (740 mi) to Oregon, ranging to

7480-547: The dainty, compact builds of much smaller ones, such as broad-winged hawk ( B. platypterus ) to the heavyset, neckless look of ferruginous hawks or the rough-legged buzzards , which have a compact, smaller appearance than a red-tail in perched birds due to its small bill, short neck, and much shorter tarsi, while the opposite effect occurs in flying rough-legs with their much bigger wing area. In flight, most other large North American Buteo  spp. are distinctly longer and more slender-winged than red-tailed hawks, with

7590-416: The eggs or nestlings within their nest to predation by crows. Birds that mob red-tailed hawks can tell how distended the hawk's crop is (i.e., the upper chest and throat area being puffy versus flat-feathered and sleek), thus mob more often when the hawk is presumably about to hunt. In flight, this hawk soars with wings often in a slight dihedral , flapping as little as possible to conserve energy. Soaring

7700-472: The equivalent weight are required daily for a typical range adult. The talons and feet of red-tailed hawks are relatively large for a Buteo hawk; in an average-sized adult red-tail, the "hallux-claw" or rear talon, the largest claw on all accipitrids, averages about 29.7 mm (1.17 in). In fact, the talons of red-tails in some areas averaged of similar size to those of ferruginous hawks which can be considerably heavier and notably larger than those of

7810-540: The extant hawks from this lineage are found in the Americas). As a subfamily, the Buteoninae seem to be rather old based on genetic materials, with monophyletic genera bearing several million years of individual evolution. Diverse in plumage appearance, habitat, prey, and nesting preferences, buteonine hawks are nonetheless typically medium- to large-sized hawks with ample wings (while some fossil forms are very large, larger than any eagle alive today). The red-tailed hawk

7920-520: The grasses Festuca spp. and Calamagrostis spp. in the understory. Alpine and sub-alpine grassland, known as Zacatonal , is found between 3500 and 4350 meters elevation. It consists of grasses and herbaceous plants with occasional woody junipers, growing no more than 50 cm high. Characteristic species include the grasses Festuca spp., Calamagrostis tolucensis , Muhlenbergia quadridentata , and Agrostis tolucensis , together with Juniperus monticola . Areas above 4350 meters, which include

8030-595: The ground, but this flight method is rarely employed by this species. When soaring or flapping its wings, it typically travels from 32 to 64 km/h (20 to 40 mph), but when diving may exceed 190 km/h (120 mph). Although North American red-tailed hawks will occasionally hunt from flight, a great majority of flight by red-tails in this area is for non-hunting purpose. During nest defense, red-tailed hawks may be capable of surprisingly swift, vigorous flight, while repeatedly diving at perceived threats. Red-tailed hawks are considered partial migrants, as in about

8140-470: The ground. This method is less successful than perch hunting but seems relatively useful for capturing small birds and may show the best results over hilly country. Red-tailed hawks readily use trees, bushes, or rocks for concealment before making a surprise attack, even showing a partial ability to dodge among trees in an Accipiter -like fashion. Among thick stands of spruce in Alaska, a dodging hunting flight

8250-411: The hallux-claw (the talon of the rear toe, which has evolved to be the largest in accipitrids) measuring from 24.1 to 33.6 mm (0.95 to 1.32 in) in length. Although they overlap in range with most other American diurnal raptors, identifying most mature red-tailed hawks to species is relatively straightforward, particularly if viewing a typical adult at a reasonable distance. The red-tailed hawk

8360-480: The hawk's own weight (as is typical of many birds of prey). Red-tailed hawks usually hunt by watching for prey activity from a high perch (also known as still hunting), from which they drop down upon by the prey. Red-tails often select the highest available perches to decrease wing flapping and increase the downward glide during an attack. Perch hunting is the most successful hunting method for red-tailed hawks and can account for up to 83% of their daily activities in

8470-463: The heaviest Buteos on average in eastern North America, albeit scarcely ahead of the larger winged rough-legged buzzard ( Buteo lagopus ), and second only in size in the west to the ferruginous hawk ( Buteo regalis ). Red-tailed hawks may be anywhere from the fifth to the ninth heaviest Buteo in the world depending on what figures are used. However, in the northwestern United States, ferruginous hawk females are 35% heavier than female red-tails from

8580-494: The insular races of the tropics (which differ only slightly in some cases from the nearest mainland forms) and particularly Krider's hawk – by far the most controversial red-tailed hawk race, as few authors agree on its suitability as a full-fledged subspecies. Red-tailed hawk plumage can be variable, depending on the subspecies and the region. These color variations are morphs , and are not related to molting . The western North American population, B. j. calurus ,

8690-564: The larger hawk has broader head and narrower wing shape, and the ferruginous immatures are paler underneath and on their legs. Several species share a belly band with the typical red-tailed hawk, but they vary from subtle (as in the ferruginous hawk) to solid blackish, the latter in most light-morph rough-legged buzzards . More difficult to identify among adult red-tails are their darkest variations, as most species of Buteo in North America also have dark morphs. Western dark morph red-tails (i.e. B. j. calurus ) adults, however, retain

8800-414: The last few decades and most experienced hawk-watchers can distinguish even the most vexingly plumaged immature hawks, especially as the wing shapes of each species becomes apparent after seeing many. Harlan's hawks are most similar to dark morph rough-legged buzzards and dark morph ferruginous hawks . Wing shape is the most reliable identification tool for distinguishing Harlan's hawks from these, but also

8910-479: The lower limits of the park up to 4000 meters elevation. These include pine-fir forests and pine forests. Pine-fir forests are found from 3000 to 3700 meters elevation. Characteristic trees are oyamel fir ( Abies religiosa ) and the pines Pinus ayacahuite , Pinus montezumae , and Pinus hartwegii . Pine forests grow between 3400 and 4000 meters elevation. Pinus hartwegii is the predominant tree, with Ribes ciliatum , Lupinus montanus , Acaena elongata , and

9020-408: The much paler ferruginous hawk having peculiarly slender wings in relation to its massive, chunky body. Swainson's hawks are distinctly darker on the wing and ferruginous hawks are much paler-winged than typical red-tailed hawks. Pale morph adult ferruginous hawk can show mildly tawny-pink (but never truly rufous) upper tail, and like red-tails tend to have dark markings on underwing-coverts and can have

9130-686: The north, bounded by the Sierra Madre Occidental to the west and Sierra Madre Oriental to the east. The Cofre de Perote and Pico de Orizaba volcanoes, in Puebla and Veracruz, mark the meeting of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt with the Sierra Madre Oriental. To the south, the basin of the Balsas River lies between the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt and the Sierra Madre del Sur . This area

9240-1028: The northern third of their distribution, which is most of their range in Canada and Alaska, they almost entirely vacate their breeding grounds. In coastal areas of the north, however, such as in the Pacific Northwest to southern Alaska and in Nova Scotia on the Atlantic, red-tailed hawks do not usually migrate. More or less, any area where snow cover is nearly continuous during the winter shows an extended absence of most red-tailed hawks, so some areas as far south as Montana may show strong seasonal vacancies of red-tails. In southern Michigan, immature red-tailed hawks tended to remain in winter only when voles were abundant. During relatively long, harsh winters in Michigan, many more young ones were reported in northeastern Mexico. To

9350-463: The only slightly lighter Swainson's hawk. This species may exert an average of about 91 kg/cm (1,290 lbf/in ) of pressure through its feet. Owing to its morphology, red-tailed hawks generally can attack larger prey than other Buteo hawks typically can, and are capable of selecting the largest prey of up to their own size available at the time of hunting, though in all likelihood numerically most prey probably weighs on average about 20% of

9460-886: The opposite extreme as far as a banded bird from the Sierra Nevadas that moved 1,700 km (1,100 mi) south to Sinaloa . Nestlings banded in Green County, Wisconsin , did not travel very far comparatively by October–November, but by December, recoveries were found in states including Illinois, Iowa, Texas, Louisiana, and Florida. The red-tailed hawk is carnivorous and a highly opportunistic feeder. Nearly any small animal they encounter may be viewed as potential food. Their most common prey are small mammals such as rodents and lagomorphs , but they also consume birds, reptiles, fish, amphibians , and invertebrates . Prey varies considerably with regional and seasonal availability, but usually centers on rodents, accounting for up to 85% of

9570-407: The opposite extreme, hawks residing as far north as Fairbanks , Alaska, may persevere through the winter on their home territory, as was recorded with one male over three consecutive years. Birds of any age tend to be territorial during winter but may shift ranges whenever food requirements demand it. Wintering birds tend to perch on inconspicuous tree perches, seeking shelter especially if they have

9680-484: The other high peaks, are active or dormant volcanoes . Other notable volcanoes in the range include (from west to east) Nevado de Colima (4,339 metres (14,236 ft)), Parícutin (2,774 metres (9,101 ft)), Nevado de Toluca (4,577 metres (15,016 ft)), Popocatépetl (5,452 metres (17,887 ft)), Iztaccíhuatl (5,286 metres (17,343 ft)), Matlalcueitl (4,461 metres (14,636 ft)) Cofre de Perote (4,282 metres (14,049 ft)) and Sierra Negra ,

9790-500: The pale streaking on the breast of Harlan's, which tends to be conspicuous in most individuals, and is lacking in the other hawks. Also, dark morph ferruginous hawks do not have the dark subterminal band of a Harlan's hawk, but do bear a black undertail covert lacking in Harlan's. The cry of the red-tailed hawk is a 2–3 second, hoarse, rasping scream, variously transcribed as kree-eee-ar , tsee-eeee-arrr or sheeeeee , that begins at

9900-550: The peaks of Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl, are mostly barren rock and permanent ice and snow. 48 species of wild mammals have been recorded in the park, including bobcats ( Lynx rufus ) coyotes ( Canis latrans ), foxes, American badgers ( Taxidea taxus berlandieri ), skunks, racoons, bats, rabbits, gophers, squirrels, mice, and shrews. The endangered volcano rabbit ( Romerolagus diazi ) lives in high-elevation grasslands on four central Mexican volcanic peaks, including Iztaccíhuatl and Popocatépetl. Other limited-range species include

10010-410: The proportional size of the wings is quite small and red-tails have high wing loading for a buteonine hawk. For comparison, two other widespread Buteo hawks in North America were found to weigh: 30 g (1.1 oz) for every square centimeter of wing area in the rough-legged buzzard ( B. lagopus ) and 44 g (1.6 oz)/cm in the red-shouldered hawk ( B. lineatus ). In contrast,

10120-399: The red-tailed hawk is the common buzzard ( B. buteo ), which has been considered as its Eurasian " broad ecological counterpart " and may also be within a species complex with red-tailed hawks. The common buzzard, in turn, is also part of a species complex with other Old World buzzards, namely the mountain buzzard ( B. oreophilus ), the forest buzzard ( B. trizonatus ), and

10230-464: The red-tailed hawk typically varies only a modest amount and that size differences are geographically inconsistent. Male red-tailed hawks can measure 45 to 60 cm (18 to 24 in) in total length, females measuring 48 to 65 cm (19 to 26 in) long. Their wingspan typically can range from 105 to 141 cm (3 ft 5 in to 4 ft 8 in), although the largest females may possible span up to 147 cm (4 ft 10 in). In

10340-420: The red-tailed hawk weighed considerably more for their wing area: 199 g (7.0 oz) per square cm. As is the case with many raptors, the red-tailed hawk displays sexual dimorphism in size, as females are on average 25% larger than males. As is typical in large raptors, frequently reported mean body mass for red-tailed hawks is somewhat higher than expansive research reveals. Part of this weight variation

10450-445: The red-tailed hawks easily becoming acclimated to car traffic. The only practice that has a negative effect on the highway-occupying red-tails is the planting of exotic Phragmites , which may occasionally obscure otherwise ideal highway habitat. In the northern Great Plains , the widespread practices of wildfire suppression and planting of exotic trees by humans has allowed groves of aspen and various other trees to invade what

10560-462: The region, age, or subspecies of the specimens. However, 16 sources ranging in sample size from the aforementioned 208 specimens to only four hawks in Puerto Rico (with 9 of the 16 studies of migrating red-tails), showed that males weigh a mean of 860.2 g (1.896 lb) and females weigh a mean of 1,036.2 g (2.284 lb), about 15% lighter than prior species-wide published weights. Within

10670-1178: The remainder of the breeding range. Red-tailed hawks have shown the ability to become habituated to almost any habitat present in North and Central America. Their preferred habitat is mixed forest and field , largely woodland edge with tall trees or alternately high bluffs that may be used as nesting and perching sites. They occupy a wide range of habitats and altitudes, including deserts , grasslands , nearly any coastal or wetland habitat, mountains , foothills , coniferous and deciduous woodlands , and tropical rainforests . Agricultural fields and pastures , which are more often than not varied with groves , ridges, or streamside trees in most parts of America, may make nearly ideal habitat for breeding or wintering red-tails. They also adapt well to suburban areas especially ones with tall trees or any kind of parkland. Some red-tails may survive or even flourish in urban areas, usually hunting and roosting in available urban parks , cemeteries , road verges , and so on, and nesting freely either in trees or virtually any tall man-made structures. One famous urban red-tailed hawk, known as " Pale Male ", became

10780-404: The rush of distant water" has been reported as uttered in the midst of a sky-dance. A modified call of chirp-chwirk is given during courtship, while a low key, duck-like nasal gank may be given by pairs when they are relaxed. The fierce, screaming cry of the adult red-tailed hawk is frequently used as a generic raptor sound effect in television shows and other media, even if the bird featured

10890-448: The same area. On average, western red-tailed hawks are relatively longer winged and lankier proportioned but are slightly less stocky, compact and heavy than eastern red-tailed hawks in North America. Eastern hawks may also have mildly larger talons and bills than western ones. Based on comparisons of morphology and function among all accipitrids, these features imply that western red-tails may need to vary their hunting more frequently to on

11000-497: The same ones occurred year-to-year. In general, migratory behavior is complex and reliant on each individual hawk's decision-making (i.e. whether prey populations are sufficient to entice the hawk to endure prolonged snow cover). During fall migration, departure may occur as soon as late September, but peak movements occur in late October and all of November in the United States, with migration ceasing after mid-December. The northernmost migrants may pass over resident red-tailed hawks in

11110-567: The southernmost peak in the Sierra de Río Frío, formed more recently. Rain and snowfall and glacial melt give rise to many mountain streams. The northern and western slopes drain into Lake Texcoco in the Valley of Mexico . The eastern slopes drain into the upper Balsas River , also known as the Atoyac. The southernmost portion of the park is drained by the Cuautla and Nexapa rivers, which are tributaries of

11220-474: The standard scientific method of measuring wing size, the wing chord is 325.1–444.5 mm (12.80–17.50 in) long. The tail measures 188 to 258.7 mm (7.40 to 10.19 in) in length. The exposed culmen was reported to range from 21.7 to 30.2 mm (0.85 to 1.19 in) and the tarsus averaged 74.7–95.8 mm (2.94–3.77 in) across the races. The middle toe (excluding talon) can range from 38.3 to 53.8 mm (1.51 to 2.12 in), with

11330-628: The subfamily Buteoninae occur in Africa. At one time, the rufous-tailed hawk ( B. ventralis ), distributed in Patagonia and some other areas of southern South America, was considered part of the red-tailed hawk species. With a massive distributional gap consisting of most of South America, the rufous-tailed hawk is considered a separate species now, but the two hawks still form a "species pair" or superspecies , as they are clearly closely related. The rufous-tailed hawk, while comparatively little studied,

11440-557: The subject of a nonfiction book, Red-Tails in Love: A Wildlife Drama in Central Park , and is the first known red-tail in decades to successfully nest and raise young in the crowded New York City borough of Manhattan . As studied in Syracuse, New York , the highway system has been very beneficial to red-tails as it juxtaposed trees and open areas and blocks human encroachment with fences, with

11550-460: The tail may be a somewhat rufous tinge of brown. The bill is relatively short and dark, in the hooked shape characteristic of raptors , and the head can sometimes appear small in size against the thick body frame. The cere , the legs, and the feet of the red-tailed hawk are all yellow, as is the color of bare parts in many accipitrids of different lineages. Immature birds can be readily identified at close range by their yellowish irises . As

11660-435: The top of tall, isolated trees, whereas dark morphs more frequently perched in dense groups of trees. For many, and perhaps most, red-tailed hawks being mobbed by various birds is a daily concern and can effectively disrupt many of their daily behaviors. Mostly larger passerines , of multiple families from tyrant flycatchers to icterids , mob red-tails, despite other raptors, such as Accipiter hawks and falcons, being

11770-718: The typical distinctive brick-red tail, which other species lack, and may stand out even more against the otherwise all chocolate-brown to black bird. Standard pale juveniles when perched show a whitish patch in the outer half of the upper surface of the wing, which other juvenile Buteo  spp. lack. The most difficult to identify stages and plumage types are dark morph juveniles, Harlan's hawk and some Krider's hawks (the latter mainly with typical ferruginous hawks as mentioned). Some darker juveniles are similar enough to other Buteo juveniles that they "cannot be identified to species with any confidence under various field conditions." However, field identification techniques have advanced in

11880-466: The wing as the habitat diversifies to more open situations and presumably would hunt more variable and faster prey, whereas the birds of the east, which was historically well-wooded, are more dedicated perch hunters and can take somewhat larger prey but are likely more dedicated mammal hunters. In terms of size variation, red-tailed hawks run almost contrary to Bergmann's rule (i.e. that northern animals should be larger in relation than those closer to

11990-466: The winter. Pairs may join to hunt agile prey that they may have trouble catching by themselves, such as tree squirrels . This may consist of stalking opposites sides of a tree to surround the squirrel and drive the rodent to a hawk. The most common flighted hunting method for the red-tail is to cruise around 10 to 50 m (33 to 164 ft) over the ground with flap-and-glide type flight, interspersed occasionally with harrier -like quarters over

12100-526: Was once vast, almost continuous prairie grasslands, causing grassland obligates such as ferruginous hawks to decline and allowing parkland-favoring red-tails to flourish. To the contrary, clear-cutting of mature woodlands in New England , resulting in only fragmented and isolated stands of trees or low second growth remaining, was recorded to also benefit red-tailed hawks, despite being to the determent of breeding red-shouldered hawks . The red-tailed hawk, as

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