Red-tailed hawks are pretty common and if you keep your eyes peeled anywhere in the country, you just may see one yourself.

I have seen three red-tailed hawks in the last month alone. I saw one slowly circling the sky over the National Arboretum. I saw a red-tailed hawk perched on a utility pole on Massachusetts Avenue and then I saw one perched on the ridge of a gabled roof in Chevy Chase.

There is a good chance all three hawks were hunting. These raptors have excellent vision, which enables them to identify their prey from afar. Red-tailed hawks monitor the ground they are perched or flying above, watching for some small creature, like a mouse or a squirrel, to capture. When they see one, they pounce: swooping down to catch the rodent with their powerful feet.

I found a pretty awesome three-minute video of some red-tailed hawks hunting bats in Texas. It is called Red Tailed Hawk Hunts Bats and is from the good folks at BBC Earth. If you have the time, you should definitely check it out!

XOXO,
Bernice