Chickenhawk or Red-tailed hawk is a bird of prey that breeds throughout most of North America, from the interior of Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies.
It is one of the most common members within the genus of Buteo in North America or worldwide. The red-tailed hawk is one of three species known in the United States as the chickenhawk.
Because they are so common and easily trained as capable hunters, in the United States they are the most commonly captured hawks for falconry.
The Red-tailed hawk occupies a wide range of habitats and altitudes, including deserts, grasslands,deciduous forests, agricultural fields, and urban areas.
Pairs either court for the first time or engage in courtship rituals to strengthen pre-existing pair bonds before going into the breeding.
The Chickenhawk breeding season usually begins in late February through March, but can commence as early as late December in Arizona and late January in Wisconsin or to the opposite extreme as late as mid-April as in Alberta.
The pair constructs a stick nest most often in a large tree. Many red-tails build new nests every year despite prior nests being in good standing and unoccupied.
A clutch of one to three eggs is laid in March or April, depending upon latitude, with four eggs being uncommon and five and perhaps even six increasingly rare.
The diet of Chickenhawk or Red Tailed Hawk is most often predators of small mammals such as ground squirrels and other rodents.
Voles alternated with larger rabbits and hares often form the bulk of the diet. Large numbers of birds and reptiles can occur in the diet in several areas, and can even be the primary foods.
