The Red-Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) is among the most widespread and commonly observed raptors across North America. Identifying this bird as an adult is usually straightforward due to its distinctive tail, but recognizing a juvenile can be more challenging for the casual observer. Young hawks lack the iconic reddish-brown tail that gives the species its name, which often leads to misidentification. Understanding the specific visual and behavioral markers of a juvenile hawk is the key to accurately distinguishing it from its parents and other hawk species.
The Defining Feature Juvenile Tail and Plumage
The single most telling feature of a juvenile Red-Tailed Hawk is its tail, which is brown or grayish-brown with narrow, dark banding. This pattern typically features six to nine dark bars of equal width, contrasting sharply with the uniform brick-red tail of a mature hawk. The juvenile’s tail also appears slightly longer and narrower than the adult’s when the bird is perched or in flight.
Beyond the tail, the body plumage provides additional clues, particularly the dark markings on the underside. Most juvenile Red-Tailed Hawks display a prominent “belly band,” a cluster of dark, vertical streaking across the lower chest and upper belly. This streaking is often more conspicuous and sharply defined in young birds compared to the more muted belly band seen in many adults.
A reliable visual marker is the presence of dark patagial marks, which are comma-shaped patches located on the leading edge of the underwing near the hawk’s shoulder. These marks are present in both age groups but are a consistent and important field mark for identifying any light-morph Red-Tailed Hawk, including juveniles. The overall body plumage of a juvenile may also appear slightly darker or more mottled on the back and upper wings.
Immature Physical Characteristics
The eyes of a juvenile Red-Tailed Hawk offer dependable indicators of its age, especially at close range. Young birds possess pale irises, typically light yellow, straw-colored, or grayish-yellow. This bright eye color signals that the bird has not yet reached full maturity.
As the hawk ages, the iris gradually darkens, transitioning from pale yellow to a deep, rich brown in adulthood, a process that takes up to three or four years. The cere (the fleshy area at the base of the beak) and the gape are generally a duller yellow or greenish-yellow on a juvenile. In contrast, adult cere and gape are typically a more vibrant, brighter yellow.
Structurally, juveniles attain adult length and wingspan within a couple of months of hatching, making them nearly the same size as adults. However, the young bird may appear slightly less bulky than a fully mature adult. Juvenile flight feathers are initially grown slightly longer than adult feathers, which gives the first-year bird a subtly different wing shape and lighter wing loading.
Comparing Juveniles to Adult Red-Tailed Hawks
The most apparent difference between the two age groups is the tail, which is barred brown in the juvenile versus the solid, reddish-brown of the adult. Juveniles have numerous dark bands across their tail feathers, while the adult tail is essentially unbarred. This red coloration is not fully acquired until the hawk undergoes its first prebasic molt, which occurs around twelve to fifteen months after hatching.
The contrast in eye color is equally telling, with juveniles sporting pale yellow eyes and adults having dark brown eyes. The change in eye color is a gradual but reliable progression that correlates with sexual maturity.
The transition from juvenile to adult plumage occurs during the first major molt. This molting process can sometimes result in a hawk showing a mix of feathers, such as a few new red tail feathers interspersed with the older brown, barred juvenile feathers. The presence of any red feathers usually indicates a bird that is at least a year old and is acquiring its adult appearance.
Behavioral Clues and Vocalizations
Observing the hawk’s behavior can offer supporting evidence for age identification, especially when visual cues are distant. Juvenile Red-Tailed Hawks often exhibit a less coordinated or less efficient flight style compared to the smooth, powerful soaring of an adult. This inexperience may manifest as more frequent flapping and less elegant kiting into the wind.
In terms of hunting, young hawks are still developing their skills, often resulting in less successful or more clumsy attempts at catching prey. They spend significant time practicing hunting techniques, but their overall success rate is lower than that of their experienced parents. This learning period is marked by trial and error, sometimes involving less cautious perching choices.
Vocalizations provide another distinct age marker, particularly the begging call. The classic Red-Tailed Hawk call is a harsh, descending scream, but the juvenile often employs a higher-pitched, persistent, and somewhat whiny shriek. This sound is a “begging call” used to solicit food from its parents and is commonly heard even weeks after the young bird has fledged from the nest. Juveniles may also be observed staying close to or directly interacting with an adult, indicating a continued, though diminishing, dependence on parental provisioning.