Life Cycle
Breeding season begins in March and may run through May. Red-tail hawks reach breeding age when they are three years old. During courtship, both the male and female engage in an aerial display where the glide and soar in circles and then fold their wings in and plummet to the treetops.
Red-tailed hawk pairs mate for life. Both the male and female build a nest of sticks high in a tree or on a cliff. The same nest may be used year after year. The female lays two to three eggs and incubates them for about 30 days. The male will bring the female food during incubation. Both parents care for and feed the young. The chicks fledge when they are about 45 days old.
Behavior
Red-tailed pairs are very territorial and will remain together for years in the same territory. Territories are usually between a half a square mile to two square miles. The male will fly around the territory and patrol for intruders while the female is very aggressive in guarding the nesting site. The red-tailed hawk has a raspy screeching call that is often used in film and television as the call of eagles and other raptors!
The red-tailed hawk breeds in most parts of the United States and Canada south to Mexico and Central America. Birds in the northern most part of its range may migrate south in the winter.
