Well known and fairly common, the adult red-tailed hawk can be identified in the field by its uniformly colored tail - red above and light pink below-and a broken dark abdominal band. The upperparts are dark grey-brown streaked and barred with white, brown and black. The underparts are light cream streaked with brown. The tail may or may not have dark bands. Wide variations in plumage color are common throughout its range and cause confusion even among experts. The red-tailed hawk is about 55 cm (22 in) long.

Red-tailed hawks are found from Panama to the tree line in northern Canada and Alaska. Breeding grounds comprise the northern half of this range, and wintering generally takes place in the southern portions from the southern states to Central America. In Alberta, this hawk prefers the parkland and mixed-wood zones, but may occasionally nest in wooded areas on the prairies.

Nests are usually built close to the tops of prominent trees. Normally 2 to 4 eggs are laid each season.

Although feeding is done in the open, the red-tail rarely hovers in search of small rodents and rabbits which comprise its prey. Usually this bird perches on top of high poles or trees, then swoops down on its prey.

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