Red-tailed Hawk

Buteo jamaicensis

Red-tailed Hawk. Photo:Jardin Botanique de Montreal

The red-tailed hawk is the most commonly seen member of the buteo family in Southern Canada. Although nests are placed high in tall trees in wooded areas, this hawk prefers to hunt in open areas, and is often perched near a field or the edge of a woodlot waiting for a rodent to appear. Unlike many other hawk species, the red-tailed hawk has adapted well to human settlement. Clearing of the land for agriculture and fragmentation of the forest have increased the amount of red-tailed hawk habitat, and populations of this species appear to have increased since the 1930's.

Distribution of Red-tailed Hawk in Canada