| On rare occasions a red-tail may attempt a falcon-like swoop upon aerial prey, which sometimes ends in success. One red-tail has been photographed capturing bats in this manner as they left their cave roost near dusk to begin their own hunting forays. Several years ago I watched an adult red-tail plummet from 2,000 feet into a flock of pigeons that were flying low over a cornfield. This attack was unsuccessful, but the very fact that it was tried by an adult, experienced hawk leads me to believe it had been successful before.
Although pigeons are very seldom taken by red-tails, this attempt may very likely have been planned strategy. The red-tail, when still inexperienced, may have been successful the first time pigeon was tried, because the quarry may have mistaken the buteo for a falcon. Since a pigeon cannot out-fly a large falcon that is determined to catch it, the only escape is to seek cover on the ground. Peregrine falcons will seldom follow their intended victim into cover, and pigeons seem to know this. The pigeon that took cover ahead of a plunging red-tail would be easily captured if the cover was not too dense. It is possible that the red-tail may have deliberately tried to deceive the pigeon flock by mimicking the falcon's swoop, thus forcing them to seek cover and freeze.
The top speed of a red-tail in flight is somewhere between 35 and 40 miles an hour. I have clocked numerous adults with the special police speedometer in my patrol car, but can find no further references.
When diving from high overhead, they can probably attain 120 m.p.h. This may seem a very fast rate for such a cumbersome bird, but it is merely the speed of gravitational pull for a falling object. Sky-diving parachutists attain this speed about 10 seconds after they leave the plane. A falcon, by way of comparison, may descend at nearly twice this speed, gaining the added momentum by pumping its wings on the way down.
Unlike many other hawks that are specialists in their dietary habits, the red-tail is more of a general feeder and is able to prey upon a wide variety of animals, both in open country and in woodland. A scarcity of meadow mice, for example, will force such birds as marsh hawks and rough-legged hawks to move on, but the red-tail can shift to rabbits or other larger animals that cannot be handled by the others. Red-tails do not relish taking large prey, and when the choice is theirs will invariably choose the smaller and easier animals. This is especially true of the males which, being smaller than their mates, sometimes come to regret an encounter with the likes of a kicking rabbit. If the tussle is severe enough, the hawk never forgets it and will think twice before trying that particular quarry again, even when very hungry.
Some species of birds-vultures, for example-are credited with a good sense of smell, while other species seem to have none whatsoever. Although supporting evidence for so broad a generalization is lacking, it is probable that the majority of birds have a moderately developed olfactory sense. The red-tailed hawk is one of those species in which the sense of smell appears poorly developed, at least in helping to locate its prey.
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