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Red-tailed Hawk Photos

Photography by Terry Sohl

My Favorite: The ubiquitous Red-tailed Hawk. If you see a large hawk in eastern South Dakota and immediately called it a Red-tailed Hawk without knowing any better, a majority of the time you'd probably be right! It is amazing to see all the different plumage patterns on one species however. The bird below is a young first year bird, taken in November 2008 on the Fort Pierre National Grasslands.

Red-Tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensis 

Red-tailed Hawk 1 - Buteo jamaicensis

Red-tailed Hawk 2 - Buteo jamaicensis 

Red-tailed Hawk 3 - Buteo jamaicensis 

Red-tailed Hawk 4 - Buteo jamaicensis 

Red-tailed Hawk 1

Red-tailed Hawk 2

Red-tailed Hawk 3

Red-tailed Hawk 4

September 30th, 2006

September 30th, 2006

September 4th, 2004

September 1st, 2005

Kingsbury County, South Dakota

Kingsbury County, South Dakota

Lake Thompson, South Dakota

Near Yankton, South Dakota

Hawk perched on tree stump in middle of a lake

Closeup of a hawk spreading its wings from a metal fence post

Profile of a bird perched in a dead tree

Light Red-tailed Hawk on top of a telephone pole

Red-tailed Hawk 5 - Buteo jamaicensis 

Red-tailed Hawk 6 - Buteo jamaicensis 

Red-tailed Hawk 7 - Buteo jamaicensis 

Red-tailed Hawk 8 - Buteo jamaicensis 

Red-tailed Hawk 5

Red-tailed Hawk 6

Red-tailed Hawk 7

Red-tailed Hawk 8

July 4th, 2004

February 6th, 2007

September 30th, 2006

August 16th, 2004

Minnehaha County, South Dakota

Minnehaha County, South Dakota

Minnehaha County, South Dakota

Kingsbury County, South Dakota

Hawk in flight being harassed by a Red-winged Blackbird

Dark (Harlan's?) hawk perched in a tree

Bird in flight on a sunny blue sky day

Vertical of a typical eastern Red-tailed Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk 9 - Buteo jamaicensis 

Red-tailed Hawk 10 - Buteo jamaicensis

Red-tailed Hawk 11 - Buteo jamaicensis

Red-tailed Hawk 12 - Buteo jamaicensis

Red-tailed Hawk 9

Red-tailed Hawk 10

Red-tailed Hawk 11

Red-tailed Hawk 12

October 17th, 2004

April 22nd, 2005

September 30th, 2006

October 22nd, 2006

Yankton County, South Dakota

Minnehaha County, South Dakota

Kingsbury County, South Dakota

Gavin's Point Dam, NE/SD border

Hawk perched on a cottonwood tree on a fall day

Typical (one of most common color morphs) Red-tailed Hawk in flight

Red-tailed Hawk taking flight from a stump

Adult hawk taking flight showing trademark red tail

Red-tailed Hawk 13 - Buteo jamaicensis 

Red-tailed Hawk 14 - Buteo jamaicensis 

Red-tailed Hawk 15 - Buteo jamaicensis 

Red-tailed Hawk 16 - Buteo jamaicensis 

Red-tailed Hawk 13

Red-tailed Hawk 14

Red-tailed Hawk 15

Red-tailed Hawk 16

September 30th, 2006

October 17th, 2004

September 30th, 2006

January 28th, 2007

Kingsbury County, South Dakota

Yankton County, South Dakota

Kingsbury County, South Dakota

Fort Pierre National Grasslands, South Dakota

Hawk perched on tree stump in middle of lake

Bird perched on dead tree branch in the sun

Hawk with likely hurt wing perched on a metal pole

Hawk taking flight from the top of a telephone pole

Red-tailed Hawk 17 - Buteo jamaicensis 

Red-tailed Hawk 18 - Buteo jamaicensis 

Red-tailed Hawk 19 - Buteo jamaicensis 

Red-tailed Hawk 20 - Buteo jamaicensis 

Red-tailed Hawk 17

Red-tailed Hawk 18

Red-tailed Hawk 19

Red-tailed Hawk 20

November 26th, 2008

November 26th, 2008

November 8th, 2009

November 8th, 2009

Fort Pierre National Grasslands, South Dakota

Fort Pierre National Grasslands, South Dakota

Minnehaha County, South Dakota

Minnehaha County, South Dakota

Immature Red-tailed Hawk in flight with blue sky as background

Immmature hawk on telephone pole, still showing banded tail

Bird standing in grassy ditch after unsuccessful hunting attempt

Bird standing in grassy ditch after unsuccessful hunting attempt

Red-tailed Hawk 21 - Buteo jamaicensis 

Red-tailed Hawk 22 - Buteo jamaicensis 

Red-tailed Hawk 23 - Buteo jamaicensis 

Red-tailed Hawk 24 - Buteo jamaicensis 

Red-tailed Hawk 21

Red-tailed Hawk 22

Red-tailed Hawk 23

Red-tailed Hawk 24

September 11th, 2010

July 23rd, 2011

July 23rd, 2011

March 18th, 2011

Kingsbury County, South Dakota

Harding County, South Dakota

Harding County, South Dakota

LaCreek National Wildlife Refuge, South Dakota

Hawk in flight showing upper plumage

Hawk perched on a hay bale on a sunny day

Hawk taking flight from a hay bale

Close up of head and shoulders of hawk

Red-tailed Hawk 25 - Buteo jamaicensis - Krider's Form 

Red-tailed Hawk 26 - Buteo jamaicensis 

Red-tailed Hawk 27 - Buteo jamaicensis 

Red-tailed Hawk 28 - Buteo jamaicensis 

Red-tailed Hawk 25

Red-tailed Hawk 26

Red-tailed Hawk 27

Red-tailed Hawk 28

January 18th, 2015

May 2015

June 3rd, 2017

June 3rd, 2017

Lyman County, South Dakota

Outdoor Campus, Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Minnehaha County, South Dakota

Minnehaha County, South Dakota

"Krider's" Red-tailed Hawk showing very pale plumage

Immature hawk perched on a tree branch

Adult and young Red-tailed Hawk perched on a rock

Profile of hawk perched in the top of a spruce tree

Red-tailed Hawk 29 - Buteo jamaicensis 

Red-tailed Hawk 30 - Buteo jamaicensis 

Red-tailed Hawk 31 - Buteo jamaicensis 

Red-tailed Hawk 32 - Buteo jamaicensis 

Red-tailed Hawk 29

Red-tailed Hawk 30

Red-tailed Hawk 31

Red-tailed Hawk 32

April 2014

January 18th, 2015

November 1st, 2015

October 7th, 2017

Saguaro National Park, Arizona

Lyman County, South Dakota

Minnehaha County, South Dakota

Minnehaha County, South Dakota

Red-tailed Hawk perched on the top of a budding saguaro cactus

Dark-morph Red-tailed Hawk on top of a telephone pole

Hawk "mantling" it's prey while it feeds

Profile of immature hawk in flight on a sunny day

Red-tailed Hawk 33 - Buteo jamaicensis 

Red-tailed Hawk 34 - Buteo jamaicensis 

Red-tailed Hawk 36 - Buteo jamaicensis 

Red-tailed Hawk 36 - Buteo jamaicensis 

Red-tailed Hawk 33

Red-tailed Hawk 34

Red-tailed Hawk 35

Red-tailed Hawk 36

October 7th, 2017

July 7th, 2019

July 7th, 2019

July 7th, 2019

Minnehaha County, South Dakota

Minnehaha County, South Dakota

Minnehaha County, South Dakota

Minnehaha County, South Dakota

Light Red-tailed Hawk in flight on a blue sky day

Young light-morph bird perched on the ground

Young light-morph bird perched on the ground

Adult bird taking flight from top of a spruce tree

Red-tailed Hawk 37 - Buteo jamaicensis

Red-tailed Hawk 38 - Buteo jamaicensis 

Red-tailed Hawk 39 - Buteo jamaicensis 

Red-tailed Hawk 40 - Buteo jamaicensis

Red-tailed Hawk 37

Red-tailed Hawk 38

Red-tailed Hawk 39

Red-tailed Hawk 40

November 8th, 2019

November 17th, 2019

November 8th, 2019

September 13th, 2020

Near Yankton, South Dakota

Lyman County, South Dakota

Near Yankton, South Dakota

Minnehaha County, South Dakota

Adult red-tailed hawk perched in a tree

"Krider's" Red-tailed Hawk perched in top of an eastern red cedar tree

Immature bird perched on wooden post near dawn

Red-tailed Hawk taking flight in warm morning light

Click here for the species description page for the Red-tailed Hawk.

All photos copyrighted!  Click for information on commerical usage, or usage for other personal purposes.

Nature Photography - Done Naturally - Click for info

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Please mail any comments/suggestions/additional links for this page to: Terry L. Sohl