Female Red-tailed Hawks (Identification Guide)

red-tailed hawk (Jamaican Buteo) is one of the most famous birds of prey in North America. They are found throughout most of the United States, Canada, and Mexico and Central America. For such a famous bird, few people probably know the difference between males and females of this species.

Female red-tailed hawks are much larger than males, which is the best way to tell them apart. Size differences are most noticeable when viewed as a pair together, but you can probably make a good guess at whether a bird is male or female based on experience.

There are also behavioral differences that can help differentiate the sexes. Read on to learn about these key differences and more.

It is impossible to distinguish male and female red-tailed hawks by their feathers alone

How do you know if a red-tailed hawk is male or female?

It’s hard to tell the sex of a red-tailed hawk just by looking at it. This is because there are no noticeable differences in plumage, color or markings between female and male red-tailed hawks.

Careful observation of behavioral differences, especially during the breeding season, and comparing the size of pairs that roost or fly close to each other are the best ways to determine the sex of a red-tailed hawk.

The most obvious physical clue to a red-tailed hawk’s sex is size. Like many other birds of prey, female red-tailed hawks are larger than males. The difference will be apparent when looking at the birds side by side.

Behavioral differences are also a good way to tell males and females apart. These are most noticeable during courtship and breeding. These differences are discussed in depth later in this article, so be sure to read to the end for more details.

Size is one of the best ways to differentiate males from females, females are generally larger

What does a female red-tailed hawk look like?

Female red-tailed hawks are powerful birds of prey. Seen in flight they have broad wings with pronounced primary feathers that look like fingertips. They are the largest of the North American hawks, second only to the iron hawk (Buteo regalis).

Plumage color does vary within species, but most adult birds have a typical reddish upper tail. While at least 12 subspecies are currently accepted, most red-tailed hawks can be divided into two main groups. These are simply known as dark and light morphs, although birds in between these two morphs can also be seen.

A light variant of a typical adult red-tailed hawk has a reddish tail, a dark head, and characteristic dark wing-like markings on the leading edge on the underside of each wing. They also often have a dark stripe on their belly.

Dark morph specimens are reddish brown to chocolate brown underneath with white flight feathers. Edges of flight feathers and wingtips are black. Belly markings and palm markings are covered by overall dark plumage.

Female red-tailed hawk caring for chicks

What is the female red-tailed hawk’s name?

Sadly, modern female hawks don’t have a colorful vocabulary. Female red-tailed hawks are simply called hens.

Are female red-tailed hawks bigger than males?

Female red-tailed hawks are, on average, significantly larger than males. Males are 45-56 cm (18-22 in) long and females are 50-65 cm (20-25 in). Females are also considerably heavier than males, reaching 1.46 kg (3.2 lb) compared to 1.3 kg (2.8 lb) for males.

While these size differences may be apparent when both members of a pair are visible, identifying a bird’s sex based on size alone is not always reliable. This is because large males can be larger than small females.

This size difference is the norm for raptors, though scientists don’t really agree on why. One possible reason is to better equip the female to protect herself, her eggs, and her hatchlings while nesting.

A red-tailed hawk landed in the forest

behavioral difference

When it comes to birds that look similar, looking at behavioral differences is a good way to tell if an individual is male or female. This is absolutely true for red-tailed hawks, where the most obvious differences are seen during the breeding season.

Read on to learn about some key differences to be aware of.

courtship display

Red-tailed hawks perform spectacular aerial courtship displays. During these displays, they usually bite their claws or beak and drop to the ground. They’ve even been recorded holding on for too long, crashing to the ground together!

In these displays, the male is the more acrobatic individual, often approaching the female in mid-air from above to make contact. If courtship is successful, the female finds suitable habitat and allows mating.

Red-tailed hawk perched on a tree

sing and call

The red-tailed hawk call is such an iconic sound that almost anyone who has watched TV has probably heard it! Both male and female red-tailed hawks make these characteristic hawk-like calls, usually while soaring.

nesting and feeding

Both male and female red-tailed hawks are responsible for nest building. The female lays 2 or 3 (sometimes 4) eggs over 3 to 5 days. Both male and female are responsible for the incubation, which is estimated to last about a month. However, the female spends more time hatching than the male, and he often compensates for this by bringing her food.

Red-tailed hawks are birds of prey. They mainly feed on small mammals such as rodents and rabbits, although small game birds and reptiles such as snakes also make up an important part of their diet. They are opportunistic hunters, often perching high in the air and scouting for prey. They also occasionally seek out prey on their wings by soaring, flying slowly across open fields, or even hovering. Prey are killed by their sharp claws and beaks.

The male brings most of the food, although the female will tear the prey into bite-sized pieces for the chicks to eat. The female hatches the hatchlings, which she does for up to 5 hours a day until the chicks are about a month old.

Red-tailed hawk eating squirrel on the ground

Can a female red-tailed hawk raise her offspring alone?

Both sexes are involved in successfully raising chicks. For this reason, it is unlikely that a female red-tailed hawk will successfully raise her young alone.

Even with the help of males, females may lose weight during parenting. Chicks are also at greater risk when both parents leave the nest for only 30 minutes.

Do female red-tailed hawks have red tails?

Both male and female red-tailed hawks have the characteristic reddish-brown tail. The color is most noticeable on the upper side of the tail, but the color will show up well in good light.

Juvenile red-tailed hawks look slightly different from adults, with both male and female individuals having banded tails without the typical red color.