Where they live-- red-tail hawks can be found all over North America in
many different places. You can find them mostly in woods with
nearby open land because they prefer to hunt in big open areas.
You can also find them in small forests, plains, prairies,
groves, and even deserts as long as there are tall things to
perch and nest in. You rarely see red-tails in heavy forest
areas.
Mating and having young-- mating and nest building begins in early
spring mostly in March. They build their nests from 35 to 75 feet
high in forks of large trees. The red-tail nest is large, flat ,
and shallow, the nest is made of sticks and twigs about 1/2 of an
inch in diameter.
When it is time the female lays
2 to 4 dull-white to blush- white eggs. The eggs are marked with
irregular shaped reddish spots. The mother has to lay on the eggs
for about 28 to 34 days before they are ready to hatch. While she
is doing this the male hunts and brings her food to the nest.
When they are hatched the young hawks don't have the brick red
color in there tail as the adults do but when the get old enough
they will.
What they look like-- the adult red-tail has a rich brick red color on his
rounded tail. This may seem funny but the female is larger than
the male, they have a wing span of about 56 inches and range from
20 to 25 inches from head to tail.
What they eat-- red-tail hawks mostly eat small mammals they size of
rabbits or smaller. They will also eat birds, reptiles, and some
insects.