Bird Calls Radio Bird of the Day for Sunday, Aug. 14
Red-tailed hawk by Chris Bosak (copyright, all rights reserved)
The Bird Calls Radio Bird of the Day for Sunday, Aug. 14, is the red-tailed hawk. They are the most common raptor in New England, often seen along roadside, as well as more wild venues.
Red-tailed hawks have adapted well to humans encroaching on their territory and are found in major urban areas, even downtown New York City.
Their diet consists mainly of small mammals. I’ve seen them carry away squirrels from my backyard. They will also scavenge and may be seen sometimes on a road side eating roadkill. Red-taileds are also large for New England hawks, outsizing other regional hawks such as red-shouldered, broad-winged, and Cooper’s hawks.
Be sure to check out Bird Calls every Saturday from 3 to 4 p.m. on WSTC/WNLK AM1400/1350 (in S. CT and nearby NY) or www.wstcwnlk.com from anywhere in the world (where there’s Internet access, that is.) Thanks for checking in.