Red-tailed hawk

Hawk in flight against a soft grey sky, showing pale underwings with dark wrist patches

Few birds own the Manitoba sky like the red-tailed hawk. Perched on a fence post, a power pole, or the top of a lone tree, it watches the fields below with a stare that is hard to forget. One of the most widespread hawks in North America, the red-tailed hawk is a regular sight perched on fence posts, power poles, and treetops along Manitoba roadsides. Adults are named for the rusty red tail, though the colour can be hard to see until the bird takes flight.

Red-tailed hawks are broad-winged, powerful hunters that hover on the wind and drop onto small mammals in open country. Adults carry the rusty-red tail that gives the bird its name, while young birds wear streaky chests and a duller, banded tail. They often hunt from roadside posts, which makes them one of the easiest hawks to find. Pairs build large stick nests high in trees and return to the same territory year after year, hunting mice, voles, and other small mammals.

For more on the red-tailed hawk and its habitat, see its species guide at All About Birds.

Here are some of my favourite frames of this hawk, in flight and perched across the prairie.

Field notes in photographs

  • Young red-tailed hawk perched on a fence post and looking straight at the camera
  • Hawk perched on a pole beside a bare tree under a blue evening sky
  • Hawk perched on top of a weathered wooden post against a blue sky
  • Red-tailed hawk photographed in Manitoba, 3
  • Red-tailed hawk photographed in Manitoba, 4
  • Juvenile red-tailed hawk perched in an aspen tree in autumn, Manitoba

Red-tailed hawk Manitoba sightings

Where and when you can find the red-tailed hawk in Manitoba depends on the season and the habitat. You can see more species in the Manitoba birds section.

Map of Manitoba showing where the red-tailed hawk nests, with major cities and lakes
Where to look for the red-tailed hawk in Manitoba through the seasons: nesting in the Boreal Shield, the Taiga Shield, the Boreal Plains, and the Prairies (gold). Habitat regions: National Ecological Framework for Canada. Boundaries: Statistics Canada. Lakes: Natural Earth.

Back to Manitoba bird photography, or see the portfolio.

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