Red-tailed hawks are common on the farmlands of the Midwest and are especially conspicuous during the colder months of the year. It is then that they congregate along our country roads and Interstate highways, hunting for small rodents that inhabit the grassy medians and berms.
On my travels to and from Ohio this weekend, the red-tails were abundant, perched on fenceposts, tree limbs or power poles if not soaring high overhead or rising from the grass with a victim in their talons. Their bulky frame is easy to spot in the barren woodlands and their pale, red tail feathers aid identification as they flap and glide above the fields. Though outnumbered by starlings and (perhaps) turkey vultures, these buteos are readily observed by anyone who traverses the open country of America's Heartland.
Indeed, when scouting birds for the annual Audubon counts, one often hears the retort that "it's just another red-tail." But their common occurrence does not detract from the power and grace of these magnificent raptors and should not minimize their role in controlling the rodents and cottontails that might otherwise decimate our vital croplands.
