Subject: Red-tails
Date: Feb 7 09:32:26 2000
From: Tom Foote - footet at elwha.evergreen.edu





On Mon, 7 Feb 2000, Chris S wrote:

[snip..]>

>
> 1] Besides red-tails (and in the summer, Turkey Vultures), are there
> other hawks about the same size as red-tails that would be perched on
> fence posts or in trees along side the freeway?

you might see a Rough Legged Hawk.. it's a Buteo about the
same size, but it has a head like a tennis ball.. round
as opposed to the flatter head of the redtail. These hawks
are scarce, so you'd probably be correct to call any Buteo
in the I-5 corridor a redtail.

the only other Buteo around here about that size is a Swainson's
and they're located on the other side of the Cascades (except
for an occasional accidental over here)..and since they're
big insect eaters, they're still wintering in Argentina.

> 2] It appears to me that red-tails are in the air much less in the
> winter-time than in the summer. Is this really true?

a redtail is a quintessential energy conserver..they will
only flap when absolutely necessary and can go a long time
on very little food.


> 3] If it is true, is it due to the fact that there are fewer thermals in
> the winter-time; or is there some other reason for the change in
> habit--could the prey be hiding differently due to reduced protection
> from overhead foliage and thereby requiring the hawks to be closer to
> the ground to find their prey?

a lot depends on time of day and availability of prey..
Sat I drove to Seattle..I left Olympia as it was getting
light..I saw 13 redtails...on the return trip at 3 PM
I saw 4.

there's a sizeable population of redtails at the Nisqually
Wildlife Refuge which is an indication of prey availability.
And my commuter friends tell me there's "one on every phone
pole" in the Kent Valley..


> 4] Does anyone know how often a red-tail feeds if food is available?

hawks come from the factory with a chip installed that tells
them to eat every time they get a chance as they never know
when they'll eat again.


> How often does it have to feed in order to survive?

depends on the temperature..the colder it is the more fuel
they need. Most hawks can make it if they eat every other
day..or every third day.. and it depends if they crop out.


When it is raining
> hard for 5-7 days in a row, and the hawk is wet (and probably cold) how
> threatening to its health is this?

bad weather is always a threat.. there are more dead redtails
found east of the mts where it snows more and gets colder.
redtails rarely "get wet", unless they fall into the water.
their feathers do a good job of protecting them from the
local drizzle.


> 5] What is the average life span of a red-tail?
>
hard to say in the wild.. in captivity 25 years is not uncommon.


> A lover of birds, especially raptors,
>
go out and buy "A Photographic Guide to N. American Raptors"
by Wheeler and Clark.. $29.95


Tom