The Raptors of Iowa

Red-tailed Hawk

+฀42฀+ red-tailed hawk Buteo jamaicensis Common to abundant throughout the year, this is the bread-and-butter raptor of the bird watcher, yet the four subspecies that occur in Iowa make it a challenge to identify: the western red-tail, the eastern red-tail, Harlan’s redtailed hawk, and Krider’s red-tail. With its whitish head and nearly white tail feathers, the Krider’s (see page x) is the most spectacular. It apparently formerly nested in Iowa; now it is infrequently seen primarily during migration. Some authors consider it a form, not a full subspecies. The red-tail almost certainly nests in every Iowa county, with the fewest nests in the nearly treeless counties in the northwest. It nests in isolated groves or at the edge of woodlands or even in solitary trees. It nearly always situates its nest so one or more open vistas allow it to hunt or to observe approaching danger. qr +฀43฀+ ...