red-tailed hawk

(rĕd′tāld′)

A hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) of North and Central America that feeds primarily on rodents and has a conspicuous reddish-brown tail.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

red′-tailed` hawk′

a common North American hawk, Buteo jamaicensis, with whitish underparts, a dark back, head, and wings, and a reddish brown tail.

[1795–1805, Amer.]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

red-tailed hawk - dark brown American hawk species having a reddish-brown tail

Buteo jamaicensis, redtail

hawk - diurnal bird of prey typically having short rounded wings and a long tail

Buteo, genus Buteo - broad-winged soaring hawks

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References in periodicals archive

With a badly injured right wing, the future was uncertain for a 4-month-old red-tailed hawk found near Highland Park in the summer of 1988.

She's a survivor

A free-living, second-year red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) was presented to the Carolina Raptor Center after being seen down on the ground by a member of the public.

What Is Your Diagnosis?

Q: While visiting Buffalo, NY, I was fortunate to be watching this red-tailed hawk when it coughed up a pellet.

Ask the Biologist

And as Chintimini volunteer staff showed students the red-tailed hawk, a northern spotted owl/barred owl hybrid, a barn owl and a turkey vulture, they gave the birds little bits of mouse to keep them calm and happy.

RAPTOR AMBASSADORS

Includes a pictorial glossary of many of the forest animals that Jabber meets, including a red-tailed hawk, a tassel-eared squirrel, a porcupine, and a mountain lion.

Jabber The Steller's Jay

Once he catches his bird, a red-tailed hawk he names Flip, he just has to pay close attention to what his father tells him to do.

Brunner, Kym. Flip the Bird

Remember all the hoo-ha over those Seacoast 4th-graders trying to get the red-tailed hawk named the state raptor?

Bird call

So was it really out of line when a group of fourth graders asked their lawmakers last month to make the red-tailed hawk New Hampshire's state raptor?

Just how many state bugs and beans do we need?

In New York only the Red-tailed Hawk and the American Kestrel are permitted for the apprentice because of their relative abundance.

Falconry, leashed tracking dog, wildlife rehabilitator exams slated for April: exams slated for April 10; exam applications due March 27

THE hawk that was captured eating a seagull in Newsham Park has been identified as an American Red-tailed Hawk.

2525 Park hawk reunited with owner

BEAK WITH A VENGEANCE A red-tailed hawk was living on a wing and a prayer when this tiny kingbird defended her babies' nest in Chicago, Illinois.

Why big isn't always beast.. NATURE'S TOP DAVID & GOLIATH SHOWDOWNS

Past Liquor World, past Pappy's BBQ, a red-tailed hawk

Easter Drama