Red-Tailed Hawks: A Tale of Early Spring

A mournful cry, "keee-yaaaah keee-yaaaaah," sounds from the sky. Two red-tailed hawks fly figure eights and spiral around one another. Talons extend. The two parachute toward each other until they're only a few inches apart. Again, a call can be heard and the elaborate mating dance begins again. 

A Valley Oak tree on Cornell Road across the entrance from hosts an active red-tailed hawk’s nest. At 19 to 23 inches from beak to tail, with a wingspan of 49 to 54 inches, their broad, rounded wings are dark on top and white with brown markings below, and their chests are often streaked with white, brown and light orange bands. 

For the past four years, a pair has returned to successfully raise a new brood each spring. Breeding season begins early for these raptors as they begin to display their readiness for mating in the midst of winter.

As a monogamous species, red-tailed hawks often pair for life, only finding a new mate if the original one dies. Once a pair claims its territory and courting for the season has begun, the two being building a new nest together, or repairing an old one.

The nest is woven of stout sticks. Its interior is lined with softer materials for insulation and protection of the eggs. A pair may work on a nest for several weeks or for months. As egg-laying time nears, the male will deliver sticks, while the female is responsible for fashioning the nest's cup-like shape.

Between one and five creamy-white eggs with brown specks are laid in a clutch, with one egg laid every other day. The female expends an enormous amount of energy—she may produce up to 30 percent of her body weight in eggs.  

During this time, the hawks put on another kind of aerial display, one which announces the pair’s chosen nesting and foraging site to other raptors. The hawk will power itself high in the air and then close its wings and whirl toward the ground. As the dive accelerates, this magnificent flier opens its wings and arcs gracefully back up to the height from which it just plummeted. 

The eggs incubate under the warmth of both the male and female for 25 to 35 days. Chicks hatch mostly naked with sparse down, opened eyes and limited movement. However, they can hold their heads up and feed from sight within a few hours of hatching. The female feeds the young by waving bits of meat—mainly from small mammals, such as rodents and rabbits—in front of their bills. The males do most of the hunting, providing food for both the female and their offspring. 

Young red-tailed hawks start to fly at about 42 days old. At 2 years old, they complete the cycle and re-create the mating dance of their parents. To observe the renewed cycle of life in action, take a trip to Paramount Ranch. Stand on the opposite side of the road, and watch in silence.