Taken 2-23-2026

Red-Tailed Hawk In Flight:

For the record, I have no idea how I got this amazing shot of a red-tailed hawk flying towards me, it's eyes staring directly into my camera. Red-tailed hawks, (AKA chickenhawks) are one of America's most prevalent hawks. They're also one of the few species in North America that have only benefitted from humans' encroachment on its territory.

They're keen hunters in open fields, and will either wait for their prey perched atop trees and fenceposts, or while they circle the skies above in a holding pattern. 

Red-Tailed hawks come in many different colors, usually depending on where they live. The Red-Tailed hawks I typically see in Colorado are known as Calurus colored, which means they have a dark red-brown head and back, a dappled, white belly, and long, red tail feathers. 

While Red-Tailed hawks are classified as a species of least concern, collecting their feathers is illegal unless one has the proper permits or is part of a Native American tribe.