Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

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The red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), is a large soaring hawk of the taiga with distinguishing characteristics such as a rusty tail, a dark belt across the abdomen and four emarginate primaries. They migrate during fall to over winter throughout southern Canada and the USA.  The stick nest (eyrie) is usually constructed in a tree at the forest edge and may be reused for 4-5 years. The female lays one to three eggs in May. The young birds (eyasses) are fed a varied diet of voles, lemmings, hares, insects or carrion and begin to fly 43 days after hatching.