Red-Tailed Hawk: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Hawks and Falcons · day 5 of 7

Five facts

1. A red-tailed hawk usually cruises at 32 to 64 km/h, but in a dive it can pass 190 km/h.
2. A red-tail called "Pale Male" made history in New York: no red-tail had nested and raised chicks in Manhattan for decades.
3. Red-tailed hawk pairs stay together for life and only take a new mate if one dies. A pair may guard the same nesting area for years.
4. Red-tails breed from western Alaska south to Panama and the West Indies, in deserts, grasslands, forests, fields and even cities.
5. Females are bigger: studies give an average of about 1.04 kg for females and about 0.84 kg for males.

The quiz

1. How fast can a diving red-tailed hawk go?

• About 40 km/h
• Over 90 km/h
• Over 300 km/h
• Over 190 km/h (correct)

In a dive it can pass 190 km/h.

2. What did the red-tail "Pale Male" achieve?

• First known red-tail in decades to raise young in Manhattan (correct)
• First hawk to cross the Atlantic
• Longest-lived hawk on record
• First hawk to nest on a ship

Pale Male was the first red-tail known in decades to nest and raise chicks in Manhattan.

3. When do red-tailed hawks swap mates?

• Every spring
• Every two years
• Only when a spouse dies (correct)
• After each nest is built

They are partners for life, swapping mates only when a spouse dies.

4. Where do red-tailed hawks breed?

• Only in Panama
• From western Alaska south to Panama (correct)
• Only in Alaska
• Only on cliffs in deserts

They breed from western Alaska south to Panama and the West Indies.

5. Which red-tailed hawks are bigger?

• Females (correct)
• Males
• Both are the same size
• Young males

Females average about 1.04 kg, males about 0.84 kg.

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