Red-tailed Hawk

Description:

The Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) is a bird of prey, one of three species colloquially known in the United States as the "chickenhawk," though it rarely preys on chickens [2]. It breeds throughout most of North America, from western Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies, and is one of the most common buteos in North America. Red-tailed Hawks can acclimate to all the biomes within its range. There are fourteen recognized subspecies, which vary in appearance and range.

Habitat:

Its preferred habitat is mixed forest and field, with high bluffs or trees that may be used as perch sites. It occupies a wide range of habitats and altitudes, including deserts, grasslands, mountains, foothills of mountains coniferous and deciduous woodlands, tropical rainforests, agricultural fields and urban areas.[1] It is second only to the Peregrine Falcon in the use of diverse habitats in North America.[9] It lives throughout the North American continent, except in areas of unbroken forest or the high Arctic.[4]

Notes:

I saw three red-tailed hawks at this time. I wasn't fortunate enough to get them with talons locked during their mating ritual but I did capture a photo of two them with claws down.