Red-tailed Hawk
Buteo jamaicensis
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderAccipitriformes
- FamilyAccipitridae (Accipítrids)
- GenusButeo (Buteos)
- SpeciesButeo jamaicensis (Red-tailed Hawk)
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 →
<5% of wildlife watchers report a Red-tailed Hawk sighting in Santa Rosa National Park, based on 5 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Santa Rosa National Park
Broad-winged Hawk
Buteo platypterus
Gray-lined Hawk
Buteo nitidus
Short-tailed Hawk
Buteo brachyurus
Swainson's Hawk
Buteo swainsoni
White-tailed Hawk
Buteo albicaudatus
Zone-tailed Hawk
Buteo albonotatus
Roadside Hawk
Rupornis magnirostris
Common Black-Hawk
Buteogallus anthracinus
Mississippi Kite
Ictinia mississippiensis
Crane Hawk
Geranospiza caerulescens
Harris' Hawk
Parabuteo unicinctus
Double-toothed Kite
Harpagus bidentatus
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
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
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Red-tailed Hawk in Santa Rosa National Park?
About 1% of wildlife watchers report a Red-tailed Hawk sighting in Santa Rosa National Park, based on 5 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Red-tailed Hawk in Santa Rosa National Park?
December has the highest sighting rate for Red-tailed Hawk in Santa Rosa National Park in our monthly data.