Red-tailed Hawk

The red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) is the classic broad-winged hawk of open country across North America. In and around Banff National Park, it is most often seen in the lower Bow Valley, where forest openings, meadows, roadsides, and river flats create the hunting habitat this species prefers.

Identification

Large, broad-winged raptor with a pale chest, darker belly band, and sturdy build. Adults typically show the namesake reddish tail from above or below in good light; juveniles are browner and more finely banded. Compared with an osprey, a red-tailed hawk looks bulkier, with broader wings and no dark eye stripe. Compared with a raven, it soars on flatter wings and circles more deliberately on thermals.

Habitat and behaviour

Red-tailed hawks hunt from exposed perches and by soaring over open ground, scanning for ground squirrels, voles, rabbits, and other small mammals. They favour valley bottoms, burns, clearings, and meadow edges more than dense conifer forest or high alpine terrain. The familiar rasping scream often used in films for “eagles” is actually the voice of this species.

Viewing

Watch dead snags, fence posts, and roadside trees in the Bow Valley and lower-elevation open country near Lake Louise. Midday thermals often bring soaring birds into view. Do not stop in unsafe roadside locations for a closer look; use pullouts and binoculars instead.