Young birds are duller, more streaked and lack rust-colored tail of the adult. They are distinguished from Red-shouldered and Swainson s hawks by their white chest, stocky build, and broader, more rounded wings. Breeding takes place throughout North America, from Alaska east to Nova Scotia and southward. They winter in north to southern British Columbia and Maritime Provinces. The Red-tailed Hawk has extremely keen eyesight and can often be seen perching in a tree at the edge of a meadow, watching for the slightest movement in the grass below.
Most hawks build bulky nests of twigs, bark, and leaves high in trees.
The eggs are usually white or bluish white, variably blotched and spotted with shades of brown. The young are covered with white down, and are relatively helpless at hatching. They grow slowly, and are dependent on their parents for food even after they have fledged. Card by Henson Robinson Zoo Education Department.