Red-tailed hawks abound in Craig County
(Source: The new castle record)Â
Ultralight. Floating on the wind, this glider is powered by wings that flap.
Across the valleys of Craig County, red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicenus) are soaring on the currents of air rising above the mountain valleys. Perhaps it is the envy of such beauty that brought man his first thoughts of flight. Today in Craig County, gliders of different sorts but still similar fly the blue skies above New Castle.
While red-tailed Hawks are migratory, they do settle in the mid Atlantic region to winter here. That is why they are more noted in the area, according the Virginia Wildlife November 2006 magazine. A certain sign of fall and winter is the lazy circle of a red-tailed hawk against the clear, blue sky. They soar above the horizon looking for a meal of small game that can include the occasional chicken. That ominous misfortune gives the red-tailed hawk the name “chicken hawk,†as well.
The red-tailed’s prey generally is other birds like doves, crows, small ducks and sometimes songbirds. They also eat snakes, voles, mice and rats but also eat squirrels and rabbits, earning them disrespect from hunters of small game animals. They fall from the sky and grasp the victims in their powerful talons, often going to a nearby tree to ingest the entire animal. Later hawks regurgitate indigestible parts like fur, feathers and bones. Make no mistake, however; federal law protects the red-tail like other raptors. Killing one can bring a stiff fine and even jail time.
A woman who wishes to remain anonymous tells a story of a bird feeder full of songbirds at her home. A red-tailed hawk swept from the sky and stole away a cardinal. The hawk’s sudden and large appearance stunned her and her two children. The children were distressed as a few red feathers floated lazily through the air where the cardinal had once been feeding merrily with its companions. The woman’s 6-year-old son remarked earnestly, “I guess that is why they call it a bird feeder.â€
The average red-tailed hawk is 19-23 inches long and can have a wingspan up to 4 feet. Plumage varies but is usually brown to grayish with a white breast. The distinguishing feature is the hawk’s red-brown (rufous), square-cut tail, thus the name red-tailed hawk. These hawks range all over North America from the seaside to the desert to the plains.
So as you travel the highways and by ways of Craig, that large brownish bird, light-colored underneath the wings soaring in the sky is most likely a hawk if it appears square and compact. Don’t be confused by the cousin of the hawk also on the hunt, but for carrion – the buzzard. Color and shape are the notable features in defining the difference between the two.