Buteo jamaicensis
Silhouette: Lauren Anderson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) is a bird of prey and one of the most common hawks in North America. In the United States, it is one of three species colloquially known as the "chickenhawk". The red-tailed hawk breeds throughout most of the continent, from western Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies. The red-tailed hawk occupies a wide range of habitats and altitudes, including deserts, grasslands, coniferous and deciduous forests, agricultural fields, and urban areas. It is absent in areas of unbroken forest and in the high arctic. It is legally protected in Canada, Mexico, and the United States by the Migratory Bird Treaty.
The red-tailed hawk is one of the largest members of the genus Buteo in North America, typically weighing from 690 to 1,600 g (1.5 to 3.5 lb) and measuring 45–65 cm (18–26 in) in length, with a wingspan from 110–145 cm (43–57 in). Females are about 25% heavier than males. It has a stocky body with broad wings and can be distinguished from other North American hawks by the eponymous tail, which is uniformly brick-red above and light buff-orange below. The species feeds on a wide range of small animals, such as rodents, birds, and reptiles. Pairs stay together for life, taking a new mate only when the original mate dies. The pair constructs a stick nest in a high tree, in which a clutch of one to three eggs is laid.
The 14 recognized subspecies vary in appearance and range. The subspecies Harlan's hawk (B. j. harlani) is sometimes considered a separate species (B. harlani). Because they are so common and easily trained as capable hunters, most hawks captured for falconry in the United States are red-tailed hawks. The feathers and other parts of the red-tailed hawk are considered sacred to many American indigenous people. Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Tijuana | 🇲🇽 México |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Red-tailed Hawk sighting in Jasper National Park on a given day, based on 52 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 97th most-seen of the 156 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Red-tailed Hawk in Jasper National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September to July, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Red-tailed Hawk sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
50th of 68
Of the 68 parks where we can rate Red-tailed Hawk sightings, Jasper National Park ranks 50th at under 5%. The best odds are in Irazú Volcano National Park (Costa Rica, about 50%), Yellowstone National Park (United States, about 40%) and Saguaro National Park (United States, about 40%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Red-tailed Hawk is recorded against all the birds logged in Jasper National Park (52 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
