# What Do Red-tailed Hawks Eat?

> What red-tailed hawks eat: Carnivore (rodents, rabbits, reptiles, birds), foraging style, and seasonal shifts in Open country, fields, deserts, and roadsides.

- **Species:** Red-tailed Hawk (*Buteo jamaicensis*)
- **Conservation status:** Least Concern
- **Diet:** Carnivore (rodents, rabbits, reptiles, birds)
- **Habitat:** Open country, fields, deserts, and roadsides
- **Lifespan:** 10–15 years in the wild
- **Top speed:** Up to 190 km/h (120 mph) in a dive
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/red-tailed-hawk/what-do-red-tailed-hawk-eat/
- **Parent profile:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/red-tailed-hawk/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Quick answer

The red-tailed hawk is a large bird of prey and the most common hawk in North America, named for the brick-red tail of the adult. It soars over open country on broad wings, hunting rodents and other small animals with keen eyesight. Its piercing scream is often dubbed over eagles in films. Red-tailed hawks usually live 10 to 15 years in the wild.

## Who should skip this page

Skip this if you need a captive feeding plan from a veterinarian. This page is wild diet, not a pet-care sheet.

## Behavior and hunting

Red-tailed hawks hunt mostly by perching or soaring and then dropping onto prey with their powerful talons. Their eyesight is several times sharper than a human's, letting them spot a mouse from high above. They are highly adaptable and are often seen perched on fence posts, telephone poles, and trees beside highways, watching the grass below.

## Help protect the Red-tailed Hawk

Even familiar animals lose ground as wild habitat keeps shrinking worldwide.

[Donate to wildlife protection](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/donate/)

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/red-tailed-hawk/what-do-red-tailed-hawk-eat/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.