red-tailed hawk

American  

[red-teyld] / ˈrɛdˌteɪld /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of red-tailed hawk

An Americanism dating back to 1795–1805

Example Sentences

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

“There goes a band-tailed pigeon right over there,” Wood exclaimed, turning his attention from a red-tailed hawk.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 11, 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

To the south, a red-tailed hawk circled—suddenly it dove toward a prairie dog settlement, but came up empty-handed.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols