Buteo jamaicensis
Identification. Large, broad-winged hawk. Adults show distinctive brick-red tail above. Plumage variable, ranging from light to dark morphs. Familiar high-pitched 'kee-eeeear' scream is used in many movie soundtracks.
Status in Michigan. Abundant year-round resident. Red-tailed Hawk is the most common buteo in Michigan and is found in every county year-round. The species favors open country with scattered perches and is the hawk most often seen on interstate highway light poles.
Habitat. Open country with scattered trees, agricultural land, woodland edges, urban parks.
Where to find Red-tailed Hawk. Universal across Michigan. Spring and fall migration at Lake Erie Metropark Hawkwatch and the Detroit River corridor produces high counts.
Best Michigan counties for Red-tailed Hawk. All Michigan counties. Click any county above to see recent Red-tailed Hawk sightings and hotspot information.
Conservation. Abundant, stable, expanding.
The sightings table below this section pulls live Red-tailed Hawk reports from eBird across all 83 Michigan counties, refreshed every 15 minutes. For comprehensive historical records and global range information, the eBird species profile and Cornell Lab of Ornithology Birds of the World account are the authoritative references.
Edited by Chris Izworski, Bay City, Michigan. Sightings data from eBird, updated every 15 minutes.