Red-tailed Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk Fun Facts 

• Red-tailed hawks are in the order Falconiformes which includes falcons, hawks, eagles, kites, vultures, and condors. All of these birds have excellent eyesight, hooked beaks, long, powerful wings to sustain flight for a long time and powerful feet with sharp claws.
• Their sharp pointed beaks are adapted to tear meat, while their roughened pads on the soles of their feet enable the bird to seize and hold prey.
• Red-tailed hawks vary greatly in color, but there are three main color morphs: light, rufous, and dark. In all adults, the flight feathers are usually pale with dark tips. The tail ranges from almost white with a dark ending to rust-colored.
• Most of the red-tailed hawk’s diet is composed of small rodents.
• Red-tailed hawks have sharp eyesight that’s eight times better than a human’s.

Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo Red-tailed Hawk  Boeing came to our facility in 2003 from the then-named Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley in San Jose (currently known as the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA). After colliding with a plane in December of 2001, she was found sitting on the runway at San Jose Mineta International Airport with her wing broken in five places. Despite being treated and healed by wildlife specialists, she was deemed unreleased due to her inability to fly. Boeing’s coloration is unique: she has the dark color morph. You can currently find her in our future lemur exhibit, likely in her favorite spot to the left of the viewing windows. Despite not being able to fly, she easily navigates her terrain and can sometimes be found in the tallest branches of her tree.

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