Habitat

Typically breeds in open to semiopen habitats -- coniferous and deciduous woodlands, grasslands, shrublands, deserts, agricultural and urban landscapes -- with elevated nest/perch sites such as tall trees, cacti, cliff faces, or human-made structures (Bent 1937b Bent, A. C. (1937). Life histories of North American birds of prey, Part 1. U.S. National Museum Bulletin no. 167. Close , Beebe 1974a Beebe, F. L. (1974). Field studies of the Falconiformes of British Columbia: vultures, hawks, falcons, eagles. Victoria: Occas. Pap. Brit. Columbia Prov. Mus. No. 17. Close Beebe 1974a Beebe, F. L. (1974). Field studies of the Falconiformes of British Columbia: vultures, hawks, falcons, eagles. Victoria: Occas. Pap. Brit. Columbia Prov. Mus. No. 17. Close , Palmer 1988f Palmer, R. S. (1988f). "Red-tailed Hawk." In Handbook of North American birds, Vol. 5, Part 2, 96-134. New Haven, CT: Yale Univ. Press. Close , Snyder and Snyder 1991 Snyder, N. F. R. and H. A. Snyder. (1991). Birds of prey: natural history and conservation of North American raptors. Stillwater, MN: Voyageur Press, Inc. Close , Stout et al. 1996 Stout, W. E., R. K. Anderson, J. M. Papp, D. M. Bird, D. E. Varland and J. J. Negro. (1996). "Red-tailed hawks nesting on human-made and natural structures in southeast Wisconsin." In Raptors in human landscapes: adaptations to built and cultivated environments., edited by D. M. Bird, D. E. Varland and J. J. Negro, 77-86. London: Academic Press Ltd. Close ). Also occupies closed-canopy, mountainous rainforest and cloud forest in Puerto Rico (Snyder et al. 1987c Snyder, N. F. R., J. W. Wiley and C. B. Kepler. (1987c). The parrots of Luquillo: natural history and conservation of the Puerto Rican Parrot. Los Angeles, CA: West. Found. Vertebr. Zool. Close , Santana et al. 1986d Santana, E., E. N. Laboy, J. A. Mosher and S. A. Temple. (1986d). Red-tailed Hawk nest sites in Puerto Rico. Wilson Bulletin 98 (4):561-570. Close , Santana and Temple 1988 Santana, E. and S. A. Temple. (1988). Breeding biology and diet of Red-tailed Hawks in Puerto Rico. Biotropica 20 (2):151-160. Close , Snyder and Snyder 1991 Snyder, N. F. R. and H. A. Snyder. (1991). Birds of prey: natural history and conservation of North American raptors. Stillwater, MN: Voyageur Press, Inc. Close , Boal et al. 2003 Boal, C. W., H. A. Snyder, B. D. Bibles and T. S. Estabrook. (2003). Temporal and spatial stability of Red-tailed Hawk territories in the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico. Journal of Raptor Research 37 (4):277-285. Close ). Otherwise avoids densely timbered areas, as well as areas with large expanses of terrain without trees or other elevated perch sites.

In e. North America, prefers woodlot (isolated forest stands) habitats with relatively open canopy usually near foraging areas of grassland, oldfield, agricultural, or other open habitats; typically avoids dense canopy forests and single trees for nesting (Bent 1937b Bent, A. C. (1937). Life histories of North American birds of prey, Part 1. U.S. National Museum Bulletin no. 167. Close , Craighead et al. 1969 Craighead, J. C., F. C. Graighead, and J. C. George (1969). Hawks, Owls and Wildlife: Photographs by the Authors. Dover, New York, NY, USA. Close , Orians and Kuhlman 1956 Orians, G. and F. Kuhlman. (1956). Red-tailed Hawk and Great Horned Owl populations in Wisconsin. Condor 58:371-385. Close , Gates 1972 Gates, J. M. (1972). Red-tailed Hawk populations and ecology in east central Wisconsin. Wilson Bulletin 84:421-433. Close , Palmer 1988f Palmer, R. S. (1988f). "Red-tailed Hawk." In Handbook of North American birds, Vol. 5, Part 2, 96-134. New Haven, CT: Yale Univ. Press. Close ). In much of New York State and New Jersey, nests significantly closer to deciduous forest openings than would be expected by chance (Speiser and Bosakowski 1988 Speiser, R. and T. Bosakowski. (1988). Nest site preferences of Red-tailed Hawks in the highlands of southeastern New York and northern New Jersey. Journal of Field Ornithology 59 (4):361-368. Close ), though nest sites in w. Maryland were no closer than random sites to forest edge (Titus and Mosher 1981 Titus, K., and J. A. Mosher (1981). Nest-site habitat selected by woodland hawks in the central Appalachians. Auk 98:270–281. Close ).

Uses large reclaimed surface mines with scattered trees, as well as mixed woodland/agricultural habitats in nw. Pennsylvania, but encountered less frequently than expected at smaller reclaimed surface mines with trees in n.-central Pennsylvania (Yahner and Rohrbaugh 1998 Yahner, R. H. and R. W. Rohrbaugh. (1998). A comparison of raptor use of reclaimed surface mines and agricultural habitats in Pennsylvania. Journal of Raptor Research 32 (2):178-180. Close ). In nw. Ohio, 45% of nests located at edges of dense, deciduous forest, and another 45% in small open stands of trees, with only 10% in dense forest (Cornman 1973 Cornman, D. D. (1973). Red-tailed Hawk population ecology in Wood County, Ohio. Master's Thesis, Bowling Green State Univ., Bowling Green, OH. Close ). Grazed, open canopy woodlots attract highest density of nesters in w. Ohio (Misztal 1974 Misztal, A. (1974). The population and nesting of Red-tailed Hawks and Great Horned Owls on the Wisconsin till plains of western Ohio. Master's Thesis, Ohio State Univ., Columbus. Close ), with productivity highest in open woodlots near large expanses of fallow pasture (Howell et al. 1978 Howell, J., B. Smith, Jr. Holt, J. B. and D. R. Osborne. (1978). Habitat structure and productivity in Red-tailed Hawks. Bird-Banding 49:162-171. Close ).

In central Minnesota, 74% of nests located on or near woodlot edges, frequently close to human activity near pastures and farmsteads (Bohm 1978 Bohm, R. T. (1978). A study of nesting Red-tailed Hawks in Minnesota. Loon 50:129-137. Close ). Only 10% of nests in dense woods, with 26% and 64% located at forest edges and in small woodlots, respectively, in Wisconsin (Orians and Kuhlman 1956 Orians, G. and F. Kuhlman. (1956). Red-tailed Hawk and Great Horned Owl populations in Wisconsin. Condor 58:371-385. Close ). Similarly, 87% of nests in open woodlots and isolated trees, whereas only 13% in closed canopy woodlots in e.-central Wisconsin (Gates 1972 Gates, J. M. (1972). Red-tailed Hawk populations and ecology in east central Wisconsin. Wilson Bulletin 84:421-433. Close ). Males in Wisconsin forage in upland hardwoods, pastures, grasslands, and lowland pastures, while females are more restricted to upland and lowland hardwoods probably tied more closely to nest sites (Petersen 1979a Petersen, L. (1979a). Ecology of Great Horned Owls and Red-tailed Hawks in southeastern Wisconsin. Wis. Dep. Nat. Resour. Tech. Bull. 111. Close ).

In New York City, NY, high-rise building used for nesting, with adjacent parkland (Central Park) used for foraging (Winn 1999 Winn, M. (1999). Red-tails in love. A wildlife drama in Central Park. New York, NY: Vintage Departures, Vintage Books, Random Haouse, Inc. Close ). Also nests in suburban subdivisions in central New York (Minor et al. 1993 Minor, W. F., M. Minor and M. F. Ingraldi. (1993). Nesting of Red-tailed Hawks and Great Horned Owls in a central New York urban/suburban area. Journal of Field Ornithology 64:433-439. Close ). Has also nested successfully in urban environments in Michigan and Wisconsin (Valentine 1978 Valentine, A. E. (1978). The successful nesting of a Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) in an urban subdivision. Jack Pine Warbler  56 (4):209-210. Close , Hull 1980 Hull, C. N. (1980). Additional successful nesting of a Red-tailed Hawk in an urban subdivision. Jack Pine Warbler  58 (1):30. Close , Stout et al. 1998 Stout, W. E., R. K. Anderson and J. M. Papp. (1998). Urban, suburban and rural Red-tailed Hawk nesting habitat and populations in southeast Wisconsin. Journal of Raptor Research 32 (3):221-228. Close , Stout et al. 2006a Stout, W. E., S. A. Temple and J. R. Cary. (2006a). Landscape features of red-tailed hawk nesting habitat in an urban/suburban environment. Journal of Raptor Research 40 (3):181-192. Close ). Nesting densities decline from rural to suburban to urban habitats in se. Wisconsin, but presence of natural cover is important across rural-urban habitats (Stout et al. 1998 Stout, W. E., R. K. Anderson and J. M. Papp. (1998). Urban, suburban and rural Red-tailed Hawk nesting habitat and populations in southeast Wisconsin. Journal of Raptor Research 32 (3):221-228. Close ). In urban-suburban Milwaukee, WI, nesting habitat includes woodlands and large areas of grassland and other herbaceous cover, while areas of heaviest urbanization are avoided (Stout et al. 2006a Stout, W. E., S. A. Temple and J. R. Cary. (2006a). Landscape features of red-tailed hawk nesting habitat in an urban/suburban environment. Journal of Raptor Research 40 (3):181-192. Close ).

In Iowa nests mainly in open-canopy woodlots on slopes typically in association with open farmland, roads, and buildings; sympatric Red-shouldered Hawk (B. lineatus) is more closely associated with large patches of bottomland hardwoods farther from buildings and roads (Bednarz and Dinsmore 1982 Bednarz, J. C. and J. J. Dinsmore. (1982). Nest-sites and habitat of Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawks in Iowa. Wilson Bulletin 94:31-45. Close ). In Kentucky, forages mostly in open fields with relatively short, sparse vegetation (Leyhe and Ritchison 2004 Leyhe, J. E. and G. Ritchison. (2004). Perch sites and hunting behavior of Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis). Journal of Raptor Research 38 (1):19-25. Close ). In Florida, wooded uplands, cypress (Taxodium distichum) tree islands, and Australian Pine (Casurina equisetifolia) shelter-belts, and residential areas used for nesting and foraging (Toland 1990 Toland, B. R. (1990). Nesting ecology of Red-tailed Hawks in central Missouri USA. Transactions of the Missouri Academy of Science 24:1-16. Close , Toland 2003 Toland, B. R. Red-tailed Hawk. Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission's Florida Breeding Bird Atlas: a collaborative study of Florida's birdlife (2003). Available from http://www.myfwc.com/bba/. Close ).

In w. North America, found in a wide variety of habitats providing a mixture of open country and elevated nest/perch sites. Commonly encountered in broken spruce and other conifer forests below timberline in Alaska and n. British Columbia (Swarth 1926 Swarth, H. S. (1926). Report on a collection of birds and mammals from the Atlin region, northern British Columbia. University of California Publications in Zoology 30 (5):1-182. Close , Palmer 1988f Palmer, R. S. (1988f). "Red-tailed Hawk." In Handbook of North American birds, Vol. 5, Part 2, 96-134. New Haven, CT: Yale Univ. Press. Close ). Occupies tree-grassland mosaic in s. Saskatchewan (Houston and Bechard 1983 Houston, C. S. and M. J. Bechard. (1983). Red-tailed Hawk distribution, Saskatchewan. Blue Jay 41:99-109. Close ). Also nests in patchy woodlands, canyon-lands, and riparian corridors in Oregon and California from sea level to above 2700 m, especially near agricultural lands (Bent 1937b Bent, A. C. (1937). Life histories of North American birds of prey, Part 1. U.S. National Museum Bulletin no. 167. Close , Palmer 1988f Palmer, R. S. (1988f). "Red-tailed Hawk." In Handbook of North American birds, Vol. 5, Part 2, 96-134. New Haven, CT: Yale Univ. Press. Close , Wiley 1975a Wiley, J. W. (1975a). The nesting and reproductive success of Red-tailed Hawks and Red-shouldered Hawks in Orange County, California, 1973. Condor 77:133-139. Close ). Reproductive success higher in habitat with regularly dispersed, elevated perch sites in n.-central Oregon (Janes 1984b Janes, S. W. (1984b). Influences of territory composition and interspecific competition on Red-tailed Hawk reproductive success. Ecology 65:862-868. Close ). Occupies areas with cliffs or mixed conifer/deciduous woodland on moderately steep slopes near expansive openings of sagebrush (Artemisia spp.)-steppe or remnant agricultural areas in Wyoming (MacLaren et al. 1988 MacLaren, P. A., S. H. Anderson, and D. E. Runde (1988). Food habits and nest characteristics of breeding raptors in southwestern Wyoming. Great Basin Naturalist 48: 548–553. Close , Smith et al. 2003b Smith, R. N., S. H. Anderson, S. L. Cain and J. R. Dunk. (2003b). Habitat and nest-site use by Red-tailed Hawks in northwestern Wyoming. Journal of Raptor Research 37 (3):219-227. Close ). In Wyoming's Bighorn Basin - a vast area dominated by sagebrush and sandstone outcrops - nesting habitat typically includes patches of cottonwoods (Populus spp.) in riparian corridors or rural residential areas with human-nurtured trees (CRP).

Breeders occupy a broad range of habitats in Colorado, especially pinyon-juniper (Pinus edulis-Juniperus spp.) woodland, lowland riparian woodland, upland deciduous and coniferous forest, ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) woodland, and shortgrass prairie (Preston 1998). Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) woodlands with nearby open country support nesting Red-tails in w. Colorado (McGovern and McNurney 1986 McGovern, M. and J. M. McNurney. (1986). Densities of Red-tailed Hawk nests in aspen stands in the Piceance Basin, Colorado. Raptor Research 20:43-45. Close ), while in extreme se. Colorado and sw. Kansas, nesting habitat is limited to narrow strips of riparian cottonwood trees adjacent to active and remnant agricultural lands, leaving out vast stretches of more open grassland and agricultural habitats occupied by Swainson's (B. swainsoni) and Ferruginous hawks (B. regalis) (CRP). Forages near active Black-tailed Prairie Dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) colonies and heavily-traveled roadways with mowed margins in Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, near Denver, CO (Preston et al. 1996 Preston, C. R., R. D. Beane, D. M. Bird, D. E. Varland and J. J. Negro. (1996). "Occurrence and distribution of diurnal raptors in relation to human activity and other factors at Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Colorado." In Raptors in human landscapes: adaptations to built and cultivated environments., edited by D. M. Bird, D. E. Varland and J. J. Negro, 365-374. London: Academic Press Ltd. Close ).

Nests in areas with steep, north-facing slopes, broken canopies, and dense understories, and forages in non-forested areas within 105-645 m of nests on the Kaibab Plateau, AZ (La Sorte et al. 2004 La Sorte, F. A., R. W. Mannan, R. T. Reynolds and T. G. Grubb. (2004). Habitat associations of sympatric Red-tailed Hawks and Northern Goshawks on the Kaibab Plateau. Journal of Wildlife Management 68 (2):307-317. Close ). Forages mostly in ungrazed and lightly grazed habitats and avoids severely overgrazed habitats in rangelands of se. Arizona (Rice and Smith 1988 Rice, J. A. and N. Smith. (1988). Hunting area preferences of Red-tailed Hawks and American Kestrels in range lands. Paper read at Proceedings of the Southwest Raptor Management Symposium and Workshop, at Tucson, Arizona, USA, May 21-24, 1986. Close ). In the Sonoran Desert of s. Arizona, uses structurally simpler, more arid habitat including Saguaro Cactus (Carnegiea gigantea), avoiding sites with dense vegetation used extensively by Harris' Hawks (Parabuteo unicinctus) (Mader 1978 Mader, W. J. (1978). A comparative nesting study of Red-tailed Hawks and Harris's Hawks in southern Arizona. Auk 95:327-337. Close ).

Associated with dense, closed-canopy forest in Puerto Rico's Luquillo Experimental Forest (Santana et al. 1986d Santana, E., E. N. Laboy, J. A. Mosher and S. A. Temple. (1986d). Red-tailed Hawk nest sites in Puerto Rico. Wilson Bulletin 98 (4):561-570. Close , Snyder et al. 1987c Snyder, N. F. R., J. W. Wiley and C. B. Kepler. (1987c). The parrots of Luquillo: natural history and conservation of the Puerto Rican Parrot. Los Angeles, CA: West. Found. Vertebr. Zool. Close , Santana and Temple 1988 Santana, E. and S. A. Temple. (1988). Breeding biology and diet of Red-tailed Hawks in Puerto Rico. Biotropica 20 (2):151-160. Close , Snyder and Snyder 1991 Snyder, N. F. R. and H. A. Snyder. (1991). Birds of prey: natural history and conservation of North American raptors. Stillwater, MN: Voyageur Press, Inc. Close , Boal et al. 2003 Boal, C. W., H. A. Snyder, B. D. Bibles and T. S. Estabrook. (2003). Temporal and spatial stability of Red-tailed Hawk territories in the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico. Journal of Raptor Research 37 (4):277-285. Close ), in stark contrast to typical habitat associations reported elsewhere throughout range. May use tops of unbroken forest canopy as foraging “pasture” (Snyder et al. 1987c Snyder, N. F. R., J. W. Wiley and C. B. Kepler. (1987c). The parrots of Luquillo: natural history and conservation of the Puerto Rican Parrot. Los Angeles, CA: West. Found. Vertebr. Zool. Close , Santana and Temple 1988 Santana, E. and S. A. Temple. (1988). Breeding biology and diet of Red-tailed Hawks in Puerto Rico. Biotropica 20 (2):151-160. Close ). Also nests in urban areas in Puerto Rico (Santana et al. 1986d Santana, E., E. N. Laboy, J. A. Mosher and S. A. Temple. (1986d). Red-tailed Hawk nest sites in Puerto Rico. Wilson Bulletin 98 (4):561-570. Close ). In continental Central America, breeds predominately at high elevations (Blake 1953, Slud 1964 Slud, P. (1964) The birds of Costa Rica: distribution and ecology. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 128. Close , Monroe 1968 Monroe, B. L., Jr. (1968). A distributional survey of the birds of Honduras. Ornithological Monographs 7. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, DC, USA. Close , Land 1970 Land, H. C. (1970). The Birds of Guatemala. Livingston Publishing Company, Wynnewood, PA, USA. Close , Ridgely 1976 Ridgely, R. S. (1976). A Guide to the Birds of Panama. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, USA. Close ); ranges widely in elevations and habitats in the West Indies (Danforth 1931 Danforth, S. T. (1931). Puerto Rican ornithological records. J. Dept. Agric. Porto Rico 15:pp. 33-106. Close , Wetmore and Swales 1931 Wetmore, A. and B. H. Swales. (1931). The birds of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 63:340-341. Close , Bond 1979a Bond, J. (1979a). Birds of the West Indies. London: Collins. Close ).

Habitat in Migration

Concentrated in e. North America along north-south trending coastlines and mountain ranges; generally avoids crossing large bodies of water (Brinker and Erdman 1985 Brinker, D. F. and T. C. Erdman. (1985). "Characteristics of autumn Red-tailed Hawk migration through Wisconsin." In Proceedings of the fourth migration conference., edited by M. Harwood, 107-136. Rochester, NY: Hawk Migration Association of North America. Close , Kerlinger et al. 1985a Kerlinger, P., V. P. Bingman and K. P. Able. (1985a). Comparative flight behavior of migrating hawks studied with tracking radar during migration in central New York. Canadian Journal of Zoology 63:755-761. Close ). Forages in semiopen areas containing elevated perches, especially single or scattered trees (Roberts 1932c Roberts, T. S. (1932). The Birds of Minnesota. Volume 1. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, MN, USA. Close , Applegate et al. 2004 Applegate, R. D., B. E. Flock and D. R. Applegate. (2004). Type of perches used by fall migrant and wintering red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) in Kansas. Kansas Ornithological Society Bulletin 55 (2):21-24. Close , CRP). Also uses north-south mountain ridges and coastlines in w. North America, but movements may be more widely dispersed than in e. North America owing to large breaks in western ridge systems (Bent 1937b Bent, A. C. (1937). Life histories of North American birds of prey, Part 1. U.S. National Museum Bulletin no. 167. Close , Hoffman 1985, Hoffman et al. 2002). May gather locally to forage at stopover sites with abundant prey (e.g., Farallon Islands, CA; Bryant 1888 Bryant, W. E. (1888). Birds and eggs from the Farallon Islands. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, Series 2:25-50. Close , Bent 1937b Bent, A. C. (1937). Life histories of North American birds of prey, Part 1. U.S. National Museum Bulletin no. 167. Close ). Frequently forages in semi-open foothill shrublands along spring migration ridgelines in central Colorado (CRP).

Habitat in Overwintering Range

From s. Canada to Central America, occupies grassland, shrub-steppe, agricultural, suburban, urban, and other open and semi-open habitats with scattered trees and other elevated perch sites, especially with abundant and vulnerable prey (Bent 1937b Bent, A. C. (1937). Life histories of North American birds of prey, Part 1. U.S. National Museum Bulletin no. 167. Close , Craighead et al. 1969 Craighead, J. C., F. C. Graighead, and J. C. George (1969). Hawks, Owls and Wildlife: Photographs by the Authors. Dover, New York, NY, USA. Close , Preston 1990 Preston, C. R. (1990). Distribution of raptor foraging in relation to prey biomass and habitat structure. Condor 92:107-112. Close , Preston et al. 1996 Preston, C. R., R. D. Beane, D. M. Bird, D. E. Varland and J. J. Negro. (1996). "Occurrence and distribution of diurnal raptors in relation to human activity and other factors at Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Colorado." In Raptors in human landscapes: adaptations to built and cultivated environments., edited by D. M. Bird, D. E. Varland and J. J. Negro, 365-374. London: Academic Press Ltd. Close , Garner and Bednarz 2000 Garner, H. D. and J. C. Bednarz. (2000). Habitat use by Red-tailed Hawks wintering in the delta region of Arkansas. Journal of Raptor Research 34 (1):26-32. Close , Leyhe and Ritchison 2004 Leyhe, J. E. and G. Ritchison. (2004). Perch sites and hunting behavior of Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis). Journal of Raptor Research 38 (1):19-25. Close , Reed et al. 2004 Reed, A. W., G. A. Kaufman, D. A. Rintoul and D. W. Kaufman. (2004). Influence of prey abundance on raptors in tallgrass prairie. Prairie Naturalist 36 (1):23-32. Close ). Typically avoids large expanses of treeless terrain and densely forested regions. Occurs in especially high densities in agricultural habitats in mid-western and southeastern U.S. (Root 1988, Lish and Burge 1995 Lish, J. W. and L. J. Burge. (1995). Population characteristics of Red-tailed Hawks wintering on tallgrass prairies in Oklahoma. Southwestern Naturalist 40 (2):174-179. Close , Garner 1997 Garner, H. D. (1997). Dynamics and stability of a population of wintering Red-tailed Hawks in the Delta region of Arkansas. Master's thesis, Arkansas State Univ., Jonesboro, AR. Close ).

Across e. U.S., occupies a wide variety of open habitats in association with scattered woodlots. In Wisconsin, prefers upland pastures and grasslands and upland hardwood stands (Petersen 1979a Petersen, L. (1979a). Ecology of Great Horned Owls and Red-tailed Hawks in southeastern Wisconsin. Wis. Dep. Nat. Resour. Tech. Bull. 111. Close ). Males also frequent marsh/shrub-carr and lowland pastures, whereas females more likely than males to use lowland hardwoods (Petersen 1979a Petersen, L. (1979a). Ecology of Great Horned Owls and Red-tailed Hawks in southeastern Wisconsin. Wis. Dep. Nat. Resour. Tech. Bull. 111. Close ). In central Iowa prefers open woods and stream corridors (Weller 1964b Weller, M. W. (1964b). Habitat utilization of two species of buteos wintering in central Iowa. Iowa Bird Life 34:58-62. Close ), and in w.-central Illinois commonly forages in idle grasslands (Froberg 1972 Froberg, M. K. (1972). The winter ecology of Red-tailed hawks as determined by radiotelemetry. Master's thesis, Western Illinois Univ., Macomb. Close ). In n. Illinois, perches in small stands of trees overlooking grassland and corn stubble, while avoiding plowed fields (Schnell 1968 Schnell, G. D. (1968). Differential habitat utilization by wintering Rough-legged and Red-tailed hawks. Condor 70:373-377. Close ). In Kentucky, avoids areas with large patches of bare ground, but prefers areas with short, sparse ground cover over areas with taller and more dense cover (Leyhe and Ritchison 2004 Leyhe, J. E. and G. Ritchison. (2004). Perch sites and hunting behavior of Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis). Journal of Raptor Research 38 (1):19-25. Close ). In mixed agricultural habitats in e. Arkansas, avoids soybean and wheat fields, while favoring woodlots and using rice fields in proportion to availability (Garner and Bednarz 2000 Garner, H. D. and J. C. Bednarz. (2000). Habitat use by Red-tailed Hawks wintering in the delta region of Arkansas. Journal of Raptor Research 34 (1):26-32. Close ). In central Arkansas, favors old-field and corn stubble patches and avoids habitats including large expanses of bare ground or tall corn (Preston 1990 Preston, C. R. (1990). Distribution of raptor foraging in relation to prey biomass and habitat structure. Condor 92:107-112. Close ).

Occurs in a great diversity of mixed grassland, shrubland, wetland, woodland, cultivated lands, and semidesert habitats in w. North America (Bent 1937b Bent, A. C. (1937). Life histories of North American birds of prey, Part 1. U.S. National Museum Bulletin no. 167. Close , Palmer 1988f Palmer, R. S. (1988f). "Red-tailed Hawk." In Handbook of North American birds, Vol. 5, Part 2, 96-134. New Haven, CT: Yale Univ. Press. Close ). In Oregon, occupies irrigated croplands and one-year-old hybrid poplar (Populus spp.) plantations (Moser and Hilpp 2003 Moser, B. W. and G. K. Hilpp. (2003). Wintering raptor use of hybrid poplar plantations in northeastern Oregon. Journal of Raptor Research 37 (4):286-291. Close ). In Rocky Mountain Arsenal, near Denver, CO, frequents woodlots near active Black-tailed Prairie Dog colonies. Near Boulder, CO, occupies wooded, riparian corridor surrounded by mixed tallgrass and shortgrass prairie, with no difference in abundance between sites with and without recreational trails (Fletcher et al. 1999 Fletcher, R. J., S. T. McKinney and C. E. Bock. (1999). Effects of recreational trails on wintering diurnal raptors along riparian corridors in a Colorado grassland. Journal of Raptor Research 33 (3):233-239. Close ).