Red-tailed hawk

Description:

This red-tailed hawk is about 19 - 25" with up to a 4-foot wingspan. Has an amazing variety of colors from bird to bird, from chocolate brown to nearly all white. Often brown with a white breast and a distinctive brown belly band. Has a rust red tail usually only seen from above. Small dark patch on leading edge near shoulder. The female is same, only larger. The juvenile (which this appears to be) lacks the red tail and has a speckled chest and light eyes.

Habitat:

Spotted in a variety of open habitats, especially farmland and roadside grasslands. This red-tailed hawk was spotted sitting on a light fixture in an open field in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina.