Red-Tail_Portraits

The Red-Tailed Hawk Portraits page has 54 images of Light, Intermediate and Dark morph
juvenile and adult Red-Tailed Hawks taken in several locations in the Western United States.

Click an image to open a larger version.
Use your back button to return to this page.

Raptor Section Index

 

Eagles

 

Hawks

 

 

Alaskan Bald Eagles
Bosque del Apache Bald Eagles
Brackendale and Yellowstone Eagles
Eagle Portraits

 

Red-Tailed Hawks in Flight
Red-Tailed Hawk Portraits
Assorted Hawks
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Harriers and Owls

 

Falcons, Kestrels and Merlins

 

 

White-Tailed Kites

 

Northern Osprey

 

Sunburst3

Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Raptors Collection where a Gallery can be selected.

PhotoshelterGallerySection


Direct Links:

Eagles     Red-Tailed Hawks     Assorted Hawks
Owl and Harrier        Falcons & Kites        Osprey

Sunburst3
DarkMorph_Red-Tailed_Hawk_4245c


Dark Morph Red-Tailed Hawk 4245c

A perched Dark morph Red-Tailed Hawk overlooks a field at
Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico.

DarkMorph_Red-Tailed_Hawk_4252


Dark Morph Red-Tailed Hawk 4252

A Dark morph Red-Tailed Hawk at Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge.

There are several subspecies of the Red-Tailed Hawk with highly variable appearance, but even
within the primary species there are three major variations in plumage and overlapping variations.
These plumage variations are called the Light, Intermediate and Dark morphs, and there are also
Light and Dark Intermediates. Light morph Harlan’s Red-Tailed Hawks can be quite pale. There
 are also Rufous phase Red-Tailed Hawks with reddish-brown plumage in light and dark morphs.

DarkMorph_Red-Tailed_Hawk_4258


Dark Morph Red-Tailed Hawk 4258

Juvenile_Dark-Morph_Red-Tail_X3966


Juvenile Dark Morph Red-Tail X3966

A molting juvenile Dark Morph Red-Tailed Hawk on the left and a younger juvenile on the right.
Note the mottled feathers on the back and wings. A Light morph juvenile Red-Tail is shown below.

LightJuvenile_Red-Tail_1892


Light Juvenile Red-Tail 1892

A juvenile Light morph Red-Tailed Hawk at Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge.
Juveniles display a strongly mottled appearance, with white patches on the back
and wings, and a mottled breast which can be seen in the frontal portrait below.

LightJuvenile_Red-Tail_X3730M


Light Juvenile Red-Tail X3730 M

A 1000 x 1590 pixel frontal profile portrait of a Light morph juvenile Red-Tailed Hawk
taken at Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge. More portraits of this bird are further below.

All of the landscape (horizontal) large version images linked from the thumbnails are 1500 pixels wide.
Portrait (vertical) images are 1200 pixels tall (1290 pixels with title bar). Images designated with an “M”
in the shot number are 5:4 aspect ratio, 1500 x 1290 with a title bar, or 1500 x 1200 without a title bar.
A few portrait images like the one above are designated “M”, and are 1500 pixels tall (plus title bar).

LightJuvenile_Red-Tail_1898c


Light Juvenile Red-Tail 1898c

LightJuvenile_Red-Tail_1896c


Light Juvenile Red-Tail 1896c

Two more profile portraits of a juvenile Light morph Red-Tailed Hawk at Bosque del Apache.

Red-Tailed Hawks are one of the largest in the genus Buteo, known as the soaring hawks.
They are the most commonly seen hawks, and are generally soaring at a significant height.
As with most raptors, the females are larger than the males, averaging about 25% heavier.

Red-Tailed_Hawk_LightMorph_1316


Red-Tailed Hawk Light Morph 1316

A backlit Light morph adult Red-Tailed Hawk waves at the photographer
with its nictating membrane closed from its perch atop an electrical pole.

The nictating membrane is a translucent third eyelid which the bird uses to
protect and moisten the eye or remove debris while maintaining visibility.

Red-Tailed_Hawk_LightMorph_1335


Red-Tailed Hawk Light Morph 1335

Red-Tailed_Hawk_LightMorph_1341


Red-Tailed Hawk Light Morph 1341

A Light morph Red-Tailed Hawk surveying his territory from atop an electrical pole.
The hawk perched above the sign to remind those who saw him of his elevated status.

Red-Tailed_Hawk_LightMorph_1332M


Red-Tailed Hawk Light Morph 1332 M

A 1000 x 1590 pixel portrait of an adult Light Morph Red-Tailed Hawk.
The Light morph is the most common variation in the primary species.

Red-Tailed Hawks are the most common hawks in North America,
and are best known for their soaring hunting style and their brick-red tails.
Of the 14 subspecies of the Red-Tail, not all exhibit their namesake tail color.
Besides the subspecies variations, juveniles have a light tail with dark bars, and
as previously mentioned, variations in plumage exist within the primary species.

Red-Tailed_Hawk_Morphs_M


Red-Tailed Hawk Morphs M

A larger-than-normal (1800 x 1200) preview of the SXXL (6900 x 4600) composite which
shows images of various Red-Tailed Hawk morphs with legends identifying the variations.

Red-Tailed Hawks have three variations (or morphs), the Light, Intermediate and Dark morphs.
The differences in the morphs are based upon the belly, shoulder and central wing markings and
the body color. Light and Intermediate morphs have buff to orange dark-streaked bodies and
a dark patch at the shoulder. The body streaks on the Light morph can be very light, and the
 shoulder markings can be narrower. The Dark morph has a dark body and central wing.

Sunburst3

Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Raptors Collection where a Gallery can be selected.

PhotoshelterGallerySection


Direct Links:

Eagles     Red-Tailed Hawks     Assorted Hawks
Owl and Harrier        Falcons & Kites        Osprey

Sunburst3
Red-Tailed_Hawk_6080


Red-Tailed Hawk 6080

A Red-Tailed Hawk perched in a tree overlooking the Farm Loop at Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge.

One of three hawk species known as Chicken Hawks, the Red-Tailed Hawk prefers hunting in open areas
such as fields or desert and perches in trees or other high places from which they can keep watch for prey.
Red-Tails occupy a variety of habitats from desert and grasslands to forest edges, fields and urban areas.

Red-Tailed_Hawk_6082M


Red-Tailed Hawk 6082 M

Red-Tailed_Hawk_6090M


Red-Tailed Hawk 6090 M

Red-Tailed Hawks weigh from 2 to 4 pounds (averaging 2.25 pounds) and are generally
18” to 25” long with a wingspan of 41” to 56”. They have relatively broad 7.5” to 10” tails.
They are a heavily-built hawk with a brown-streaked belly band on a light underside in
the Light and Intermediate morphs, a cinnamon brown head which appears small in
comparison to the body size, a short, dark curved bill with light gray to yellow cere
and gap skin (skin at the base of the bill and edge of the mouth) and yellow legs.
Their talons are exceedingly sharp. Juveniles have yellow eyes which darken to
an amber color with age. The tail of the primary species is brick red on top and
red-orange on the underside. Juveniles have a light tail with dark horizontal bars.

Red-Tailed_Hawk_6086c


Red-Tailed Hawk 6086c

A Red-Tailed Hawk fluffs its feathers to ward off the winter cold at Bosque del Apache.

Red-Tailed_Hawk_5002M


Red-Tailed Hawk 5002 M

A 1000 x 1590 pixel rear profile portrait of a perched Red-Tailed Hawk.
Note that the wingtips of the perched hawk nearly reach the tip of the tail.

Red-Tailed_Hawk_5004


Red-Tailed Hawk 5004

Red-Tailed_Hawk_5006


Red-Tailed Hawk 5006

Following are several rear profile portraits of a perched Red-Tailed Hawk at Bosque del Apache.

The 5000-series images were all taken in mid-December at 850mm from significant distance.
6000-series images were taken the following day at 700mm from a somewhat closer distance.
The 9000-series images below were taken at 700mm in late December of the following year.

Red-Tailed_Hawk_X9056M


Red-Tailed Hawk X9056 M

A Red-Tailed Hawk perched over the Farm Loop at Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico.

Red-Tailed_Hawk_X9066


Red-Tailed Hawk X9066

Red-Tailed_Hawk_X9068


Red-Tailed Hawk X9068

The Red-Tailed Hawk has spread to an extremely diverse range of habitats in an unusual adaptation to the
pattern of human development of the country. The clearing of forests in the Northwest created hunting areas
which the hawks took advantage of, and the preservation of wood lots and the planting of new trees created
nesting sites near these new hunting areas. Highways with open median areas, road signs and utility poles
created perches and open areas for perch hunting, and the fact that the hawks are not bothered by human
activity allows them to nest and live in areas where there are large numbers of humans, such as in cities
where pigeons and rats can be found to supplement their diet. The most famous Red-Tailed Hawk in
history was a good example: Pale Male became the first Red-Tailed Hawk to successfully nest and
raise his young in New York City’s Manhattan Borough. Click the link for the story of Pale Male.

Red-Tailed_Hawk_X9073M


Red-Tailed Hawk X9073 M

Red-Tailed_Hawk_X9080M


Red-Tailed Hawk X9080 M

Rear profile portraits of a Red-Tailed Hawk scanning for prey at Bosque del Apache, New Mexico.
Red-Tailed Hawks have superb eyesight, and can discern prey as small as a mouse at 100 feet.

Red-Tailed_Hawk_X9082M


Red-Tailed Hawk X9082 M

Red-Tailed Hawks primarily eat small mammals such as mice and squirrels, but
they also eat rabbits, gophers, pigeons and other birds, reptiles, fish and insects.
They hunt using two different techniques: from a perch and scanning from the air.

In perch hunting, the hawk scans for prey from an elevated perch such as a
utility pole or a tree, swooping down from the perch to capture its marked prey.
They also scan for prey while soaring overhead at great height, snatching a bird in
flight or chasing down prey spotted from the air, pinning it in their sharp talons.
Red-Tailed Hawks have been observed hunting in pairs, soaring together or
staking out two sides of a tree, one flushing a squirrel towards the other.

Sunburst3

Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Raptors Collection where a Gallery can be selected.

PhotoshelterGallerySection


Direct Links:

Eagles     Red-Tailed Hawks     Assorted Hawks
Owl and Harrier        Falcons & Kites        Osprey

Sunburst3
Red-Tailed_Hawk_Juvenile_1748M


Red-Tailed Hawk Juvenile 1748 M

Red-Tailed_Hawk_Juvenile_5536M


Red-Tailed Hawk Juvenile 5536 M

Four portraits of juvenile Red-Tails in the Eucalyptus trees and on a hillside at the top of
Griffith Park, a chaparral habitat at the base of the Santa Monica mountains in Los Angeles.

Red-Tailed_Hawk_Juvenile_1762


Red-Tailed Hawk Juvenile 1762

Red-Tailed_Hawk_Juvenile_5613


Red-Tailed Hawk Juvenile 5613

Note the strongly mottled chest feathers and white patches on the back of the two juvenile hawks on the left.
The hawks in the two images on the right are older juveniles who have nearly molted into their adult plumage.

LightJuvenile_Red-Tail_HS0882M


Light Juvenile Red-Tail HS0882 M

LightJuvenile_Red-Tail_HS0883M


Light Juvenile Red-Tail HS0883 M

When watching Raptors, often the best indicator that they are going to fly is when they
‘lighten the load’ or ‘vent’ (the two most popular euphemisms for letting fly before they fly).
The bird raises its wings and hunches its back, looking over its shoulder at the target area,
then releases a liquid stream as shown in the two images above. This is a good time to
re-frame from your portrait composition to get takeoff shots without cutting off a wing.

LightJuvenile_Red-Tail_HS0906M


Light Juvenile Red-Tail HS0906 M

The same juvenile Red-Tailed Hawk a short time later, after it had landed on a new perch.

LightJuvenile_Red-Tail_X3701


Light Juvenile Red-Tail X3701

LightJuvenile_Red-Tail_X3705


Light Juvenile Red-Tail X3705

Close frontal portraits of a juvenile Light morph Red-Tailed Hawk at Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge.

LightJuvenile_Red-Tail_X3724


Light Juvenile Red-Tail X3724

LightJuvenile_Red-Tail_X3716


Light Juvenile Red-Tail X3716

Juvenile Red-Tails become independent from their parents at about 4 months of age.
They retain the juvenile plumage and barred tail until they molt at the end of their second year.

LightJuvenile_Red-Tail_X3715


Light Juvenile Red-Tail X3715

LightJuvenile_Red-Tail_X3735


Light Juvenile Red-Tail X3735

Juvenile Red-Tailed Hawks have a noticeably less stocky body shape than adults
and narrower wings and tail. Their eyes are yellow, and darken to amber as they age.

LightJuvenile_Red-Tail_X3744


Light Juvenile Red-Tail X3744

LightJuvenile_Red-Tail_X3748


Light Juvenile Red-Tail X3748

Most juveniles do not catch their own food until about 6-7 weeks after leaving the nest.
Some continue association with their parents for up to six months after leaving the nest.
At right above is a juvenile Light morph Red-Tailed Hawk in an introspective mood.

LightJuvenile_Red-Tail_X3738M


Light Juvenile Red-Tail X3738 M

A 1000 x 1590 pixel frontal portrait of a juvenile Light morph Red-Tailed Hawk.

Sunburst3

Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Raptors Collection where a Gallery can be selected.

PhotoshelterGallerySection


Direct Links:

Eagles     Red-Tailed Hawks     Assorted Hawks
Owl and Harrier        Falcons & Kites        Osprey

Sunburst3
RufousMorph_Red-Tail_Juvenile_4285M


Rufous Morph Red-Tail Juvenile 4285 M

A Rufous morph Red-Tailed Hawk at Newport Back Bay in Southern California.

Some scholars group all Intermediate morph Red-Tailed Hawks into the Rufous morph,
but others do not. In my experience, there are dark Rufous morph Red-Tailed Hawks and
light Rufous morph Red-Tailed Hawks, as well as Red-Tails whose plumage falls in between
the Light morph and Dark morph parameters who do not have the reddish cast to the feathers.

I would identify this individual as a dark Rufous morph Red-Tailed Hawk. The Flight page
has images of this hawk in flight along with several of a light Rufous morph and a pale
Northern Rufous morph Red-Tail, as well as images of Dark, Intermediate and Light
morph Red-Tailed Hawks in flight who do not have the rufous cast to their feathers.

RufousMorph_Red-Tail_Juvenile_4285c


Rufous Morph Red-Tail Juvenile 4285c

A closer crop of the portrait of the juvenile Rufous morph Red-Tail shown above.

RufousMorph_Red-Tail_Juvenile_4300M


Rufous Morph Red-Tail Juvenile 4300 M

A profile portrait of the juvenile Rufous morph Red-Tailed Hawk,
perched in a precarious spot on a hillside at Newport Back Bay.

RufousMorph_Red-Tail_Juvenile_4306c


Rufous Morph Red-Tail Juvenile 4306c

RufousMorph_Red-Tail_Juvenile_4308c


Rufous Morph Red-Tail Juvenile 4308c

A set of over-the-shoulder profile portraits of a juvenile Rufous morph Red-Tailed Hawk at Newport Back Bay.

RufousMorph_Red-Tail_Juvenile_4310M


Rufous Morph Red-Tail Juvenile 4310 M

A juvenile Rufous morph Red-Tailed Hawk strikes a pose on a cliff face at Newport Back Bay, California.

RufousMorph_Red-Tail_Juvenile_4315c


Rufous Morph Red-Tail Juvenile 4315c

A frontal quarter portrait of a juvenile Rufous morph Red-Tailed Hawk.

Note the nearly uniform mottling of the reddish-brown feathers of the
breast, belly, flanks, thighs and wings, and the barred tail of the juvenile.

RufousMorph_Red-Tail_Juvenile_4294M


Rufous Morph Red-Tail Juvenile 4294 M

Two flight shots of this juvenile Rufous morph Red-Tailed Hawk,
showing the light underwings, the barred secondaries and tail, and
the dark wingtips and uniformly rufous unmottled head of this hawk.

RufousMorph_Red-Tail_Juvenile_4296


Rufous Morph Red-Tail Juvenile 4296

There are more flight shots of this and other Red-Tailed Hawks on the Flight page.

Raptor_Portraits_SXXL


Raptor Portraits SXXL
A 1547 x 1200 version of the SXXL Composite (6511 x 5050).

Eagles and Hawks

Steller's Sea Eagle; Cooper's Hawk; Bald Eagle; Golden Eagle;
Dark Rufous Morph Red-Tail Juvenile; Intermediate Morph Red-Tail;
Light Morph Red-Tail Juvenile; Light Morph Ferruginous Hawk.

Sunburst3

Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Raptors Collection where a Gallery can be selected.

PhotoshelterGallerySection


Direct Links:

Eagles     Red-Tailed Hawks     Assorted Hawks
Owl and Harrier        Falcons & Kites        Osprey

Sunburst3
Red-Tail_Flight


Click the Display Composite above to visit the Red-Tailed Hawks in Flight page

Assorted_Hawks


Click the Display Composite above to visit the Assorted Hawks page

Raptors


Click the Display Composite above to return to the Raptors Index
(or use the navigation bars below to select another section or page)

GrEgret_copyright_clip