red-tailed hawk

American  

[red-tayld] / ˈrɛdˌteɪld /

noun

1. a North American hawk, Buteo jamaicensis, dark brown above, whitish with black streaking below, and having a reddish-brown tail.

---

Etymology

Origin of red-tailed hawk

An Americanism dating back to 1795–1805

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

red-tailed hawk

In fact, any birder will tell you that the sky-rending screech that accompanies bald eagles in most media depictions actually belongs to a red-tailed hawk.

From Slate ● Feb. 21, 2026

If you saw a red-tailed hawk injured after colliding with an office window, or a bobcat hit by a car, what would you do?

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 18, 2024

Tuffy, a red-tailed hawk being raised by a bald eagles, stretches its wings.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2023

Alan can tell a red-tailed hawk from a sharp-shinned one, having been dragged as a child every spring to the southern shore of Lake Ontario to watch raptors migrate north.

From New York Times ● Jun. 21, 2023

I’ve seen many surprising friendships during my life: a pony and a toad, a red-tailed hawk and a white-footed mouse, a lilac bush and a monarch butterfly.

From "Wishtree" by Katherine Applegate

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---