Red-tailed Hawks are in the genus Buteo, so what is a Buteo? Buteos are medium to large hawks with broad wings, wide bodies and short tails that soar in wide lazy circles and most often hunt from a high perch from which they drop down to their prey.
Red-tailed Hawks are named for their rufous colored tails but not all Red-tailed Hawks have red tails, Harlan’s; a subspecies, and juveniles do not have red tails.
The adult Red-tailed Hawk above does have the red tail, the tail looked messed up because when it grabbed the vole in its talons it also grabbed some grass or a twig that is pushing up through the tail feathers.
Just looking at this raptor makes me feel very glad that I am not a vole!
Juvenile Red-tailed Hawks can appear to be a whole different species for neophyte birders and bird photographers because they do lack the red tail plus their eyes are lighter colored than the adults. Time in the field and time spent studying field guides will help new birders and bird photographers ID the juveniles.
* I am still away, please feel free to share this post with your friends and family. Thanks for stopping by and leaving your comments!