Backyard Vistor

In the beginning of the month of February,  I was looking out the window having my morning cup of coffee and this very large bird landed in the woods near my home!

At first I could not tell what type of bird it was and then it few away revealing its idenity. It was a red-tailed hawk.  Although far away, you can see the red on the tip of its tail feathers.

It is one of the largest birds in North America but only weighs around 3 pounds. A dog of the same size would weigh around 30 pounds.   According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology hawks prefer to sit by open fields and it was rare that it came into this area. Red-tailed hawks do nest in tree tops. Nests can be as tall as 6 feet and as wide as 3 feet.  If you were to measure from the tip of one extended wing to the other that is called the wingspan.  The wingspan can be from 3.5 to 4.5 feet across. These big wings help the hawk fly at speeds around 40 miles per hour!  Learn more and hear their sound by visiting www.allaboutbirds.org!