Red-tailed hawks in California: Identification, calls, nesting and legal status

Red-tailed hawks live in California all year and in almost every part of it. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) describes the species as a common, permanent breeding and winter resident that breeds throughout California and winters wherever there is no heavy snow. It is found in nearly every habitat from the lowest elevations to the highest and is often seen perched on poles, fence posts or lone trees beside open fields.

The red-tailed hawk is not listed as threatened or endangered. It is still a protected bird of prey under the California Fish and Game Code and a protected migratory bird under federal law.

This guide covers how to identify adult and juvenile red-tailed hawks, where and when they occur in California, their habitat, diet and nesting, their calls, their legal status and similar species. It is part of our guide to the birds of California and our guide to birds of prey in California.

Red-tailed hawk facts: Size, season and status in California:

Sources: CBRC checklist (September 8, 2026); All About Birds (size); CWHR account B123; CDFW listed-animals list (July 2026); 50 CFR 10.13.

Red-tailed hawk identification: A big, broad-winged hawk with a reddish tail and a dark wing bar:

On the California Bird Records Committee's official state list the species is the Red-tailed Hawk, Buteo jamaicensis. It is a large hawk with broad, rounded wings and a short, wide tail, the shape of the hawk group known as buteos. Cornell Lab of Ornithology's All About Birds calls it the second-largest buteo in North America after the ferruginous hawk. Males measure 17.7 to 22.1 inches long and females 19.7 to 25.6 inches. Both sexes have wingspans of 44.9 to 52.4 inches. Females weigh up to about 3.2 pounds (51.5 ounces), and a big female seen from a distance can be mistaken for an eagle.

Most adults are rich brown above and pale below, often with a band of streaks across the belly. Two marks are especially useful. The first is a dark bar on the leading edge of the underwing, between the shoulder and the wrist. The second is the tail, which on adults is reddish-cinnamon above and pale below.

Red-tailed hawk plumage varies widely, partly by region. Dark-morph birds are chocolate brown with a warm red tail, and rufous-morph birds have reddish-brown chests and dark bellies. All About Birds notes that dark birds are more common in the West, and that western light-morph birds tend to be more heavily streaked below than eastern ones.

Juvenile red-tailed hawks do not have the red tail. A young bird has a brown tail crossed by dark bands, according to All About Birds.

Red-tailed hawks in California: Year-round residents from sea level to the high mountains:

Red-tailed hawks breed across the whole state, in northern, central and southern California alike. CDFW's California Wildlife Habitat Relationships account for the species says it breeds throughout California, winters in all areas without heavy snow cover and is found in almost all habitats from the lowest to the highest elevations.

The hawk does shift with the seasons. In winter it moves downslope out of the snow, and in summer and fall some individuals move up to open areas at higher elevations. The account also lists the species as a migrant in California as well as a resident.

In San Francisco, the National Park Service lists the red-tailed hawk as common year-round in the Presidio, where it breeds and occurs especially in forested areas and annual grasslands. All About Birds describes it as a bird of open country, often perched on poles, fence posts or lone trees beside fields.

Red-tailed hawk habitat, diet and nesting in California: Grassland hunters that nest in tall trees:

Red-tailed hawks are highly adaptable. They use grasslands, open brush, open stands of deciduous and conifer forest, croplands, fields and pastures, the CWHR account says. They feed mainly in grasslands and the grass and shrub stages of most other habitats and roost in trees.

The diet is broad. Red-tails eat small mammals up to the size of hares, small birds, reptiles, amphibians and some carrion. In winter they depend largely on mice but also take medium to fairly large birds on the ground. They hunt by soaring, by watching from a perch and pouncing, and by flying low over open ground, sometimes hovering in the wind. All About Birds adds that the attack is a slow, controlled dive with legs extended, unlike a falcon's fast stoop. Hunting is most active in early morning and late afternoon.

Nests are usually built in large trees near openings, especially in riparian woodland, at heights of about 30 to 70 feet. Red-tails are flexible, though. CDFW's account records nests on cliffs and ledges, human-made structures, shrubs, cacti, isolated trees and small groves in open country.

Courtship can begin as early as January. The breeding season runs from March through July and peaks in May and June. Females lay two to five eggs, usually two or three, in March and April, and incubation takes 28 to 32 days. The young leave the nest at 40 to 45 days old. Pairs defend their territory year-round. Great horned owls commonly reuse old red-tail nests.

Red-tailed hawk calls and sounds: A hoarse, two- to three-second scream given while soaring:

The red-tailed hawk's call is a hoarse scream. All About Birds writes it as "kee-eeeee-arr" and says it lasts two to three seconds and is usually given while the bird is soaring. During courtship, red-tails also give a shrill "chwirk," sometimes several in a row. Recordings are on the All About Birds red-tailed hawk sounds page.

Red-tailed hawk legal status in California: Unlisted but protected under state and federal law:

The red-tailed hawk does not appear on CDFW's July 2026 list of state and federally listed endangered and threatened animals, and it is not one of California's fully protected birds. Being unlisted does not leave it unprotected. CDFW's Raptors of California page lists it among California's raptors and says all raptors are protected under state law.

Fish and Game Code section 3503.5 makes it unlawful to take, possess or destroy any bird of prey, or to take, possess or destroy its nest or eggs, except as the code and its regulations allow. Section 3503 protects the nests and eggs of all birds. Section 3513 bars taking or possessing any bird on the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act list, and the red-tailed hawk is on that list under 50 CFR 10.13.

Similar species to the red-tailed hawk in California: Red-shouldered and Swainson's hawks:

The red-shouldered hawk is one of the look-alikes All About Birds lists for the red-tail. It is noticeably smaller, with a wingspan of 37.0 to 43.7 inches, according to All About Birds. California adults have a solid orange breast, wings checkered in black and white and a black tail crossed by narrow white bands. In flight, all ages show a pale crescent near each wingtip. It is a year-round resident along the coast and in the Central Valley, its CWHR account says.

The Swainson's hawk is a summer bird in California. It is slimmer and longer-winged than most buteos and soars with its wings in a shallow V, All About Birds says. Most adults have a dark or reddish-brown chest, and from below their white wing linings contrast sharply with blackish flight feathers. Swainson's hawks breed in the Central Valley, the Klamath Basin, the Northeastern Plateau, Lassen County and the Mojave Desert, their CWHR account says. They move south through California in September and October and north from March through May, wintering as far away as Argentina. The species has been listed as threatened in California since 1983, according to CDFW.

Red-tailed hawks in California: A common, protected hawk in almost every landscape:

Red-tailed hawks in California are common, present in every month and found in almost every habitat from the lowest valleys to the highest mountains. They are not threatened or endangered, but state bird-of-prey law and the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act protect the birds, their nests and their eggs. Adults show a reddish tail and a dark bar on the underwing, and the hoarse scream is usually given while the bird soars.