Red-tailed hawk eating a ground squirrel

Red-tailed hawk Buteo jamaicensis is a bird of prey that breeds throughout most of North America, from the interior of Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies. It is one of three species colloquially known in the United States as the `chicken hawk`, though it rarely preys on standard-sized chickens. The bird is sometimes also referred to as the red-tail for short. It occupies a wide range of habitats. . It is legally protected in Canada, Mexico, and the United States by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The red-tailed hawk is one of the largest members of the genus Buteo, typically weighing from 1.5 to 3.5 lb and measuring 18–26 in, with a wingspan from 3 ft 7 in–4 ft 8 in. Its diet is highly variable, but in North America, it is most often a predator of small mammals such as rodents. This picture was taken while on a walk in the woods of New Jersey, USA. It was a cold day in November, with patches of snow on the grass. Shot with a Canon DSLR EOS 550D, focal length 155 mm, aperture f /5.6, shutter speed 1/200 sec.

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