Red-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed HawkRed-tailed HawkRed-tailed HawkRed-tailed Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

Buteo jamaicensis

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered Endemic
20–30% · Possible
overall probability at Big Bend National Park
1,140 Verified records at Big Bend National Park
December Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

The red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) is a bird of prey and one of the most common hawks in North America. In the United States, it is one of three species colloquially known as the "chickenhawk". The red-tailed hawk breeds throughout most of the continent, from western Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies. The red-tailed hawk occupies a wide range of habitats and altitudes, including deserts, grasslands, coniferous and deciduous forests, agricultural fields, and urban areas. It is absent in areas of unbroken forest and in the high arctic. It is legally protected in Canada, Mexico, and the United States by the Migratory Bird Treaty. Wikipedia →

20–30% of wildlife watchers report a Red-tailed Hawk sighting in Big Bend National Park, based on 1,140 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Big Bend National Park

Gray-lined Hawk
LC

Gray-lined Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo nitidus

10–20% · With luck
Zone-tailed Hawk
LC

Zone-tailed Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo albonotatus

5–10% · With luck
Swainson's Hawk
LC

Swainson's Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo swainsoni

5–10% · With luck
Broad-winged Hawk
LC

Broad-winged Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo platypterus

<5% · Rare
Red-shouldered Hawk
LC

Red-shouldered Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo lineatus

<5% · Rare
Ferruginous Hawk
LC

Ferruginous Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo regalis

<5% · Rare
Common Black-Hawk
LC

Common Black-Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteogallus anthracinus

10–20% · With luck
Sharp-shinned Hawk
LC Endemic

Sharp-shinned Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Accipiter striatus

<5% · Rare
Harris' Hawk
LC

Harris' Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Parabuteo unicinctus

Insufficient data
Hen Harrier
LC

Hen Harrier

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Circus cyaneus

<5% · Rare
Golden Eagle
LC Endemic

Golden Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Aquila chrysaetos

<5% · Rare
Mississippi Kite
LC

Mississippi Kite

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Ictinia mississippiensis

<5% · Rare

📅 Monthly Probability

20–30
Jan
20–30
Feb
20–30
Mar
20–30
Apr
30–40
May
20–30
Jun
30–40
Jul
20–30
Aug
20–30
Sep
20–30
Oct
30–40
Nov
30–40
Dec

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 Irazú Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
50–60%
2 Yellowstone National Park 🇺🇸 United States
30–40%
3 Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park 🇯🇲 Jamaica
30–40%
4 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
30–40%
5 Los Quetzales National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
20–30%
6 Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks 🇺🇸 United States
20–30%
7 Zion National Park 🇺🇸 United States
20–30%
8 Grand Teton National Park 🇺🇸 United States
20–30%
9 Badlands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
20–30%
10 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
20–30%
11 Los Haitises National Park 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
20–30%
12 Rocky Mountain National Park 🇺🇸 United States
20–30%
13 Grand Canyon National Park 🇺🇸 United States
20–30%
14 Joshua Tree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
20–30%
15 Death Valley National Park 🇺🇸 United States
20–30%
16 Yosemite National Park 🇺🇸 United States
20–30%
17 Volcán Barú National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
20–30%
18 Redwood National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
19 Riding Mountain National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
10–20%
20 Guadalupe Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
21 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
10–20%
22 Elk Island National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
10–20%
23 Glacier National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
24 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
25 Poás Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
10–20%
26 Gates of the Arctic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
27 Wrangell-St. Elias National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
28 El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
10–20%
29 Celaque National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
10–20%
30 Kluane National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
10–20%
31 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
10–20%
32 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
33 La Tigra National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
10–20%
34 Cape Breton Highlands National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
10–20%
35 Cumbres de Monterrey National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
10–20%
36 Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca 🇲🇽 Mexico
10–20%
37 Chirripó National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
10–20%
38 Congaree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
5–10%
39 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
5–10%
40 Wood Buffalo National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
5–10%
41 El Triunfo 🇲🇽 Mexico
5–10%
42 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
5–10%
43 Jaragua National Park 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
5–10%
44 Banff National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
5–10%
45 Jasper National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
5–10%
46 Isle Royale National Park 🇺🇸 United States
5–10%
47 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
5–10%
48 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
49 Bahía de Loreto National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
50 Ciénaga de Zapata 🇨🇺 Cuba
<5%
51 Pacific Rim National Park Reserve 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
52 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
53 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
54 Cusuco National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
55 Cañón del Sumidero National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
56 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
57 Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
58 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
59 Santa Rosa National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
60 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
61 Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
62 Denali National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
63 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
64 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
65 Voyageurs National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
66 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
67 Palo Verde National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
68 Kenai Fjords National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
69 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
70 Masaya Volcano National Park 🇳🇮 Nicaragua
Insufficient data
71 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
72 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Red-tailed Hawk in Big Bend National Park?

About 26% of wildlife watchers report a Red-tailed Hawk sighting in Big Bend National Park, based on 1,140 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Red-tailed Hawk in Big Bend National Park?

December has the highest sighting rate for Red-tailed Hawk in Big Bend National Park in our monthly data.

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