I have done a lot of driving along the freeways, highways, and back roads of the Western

U.S., like a lot, a lot. After 30 years of driving in the Western States, over countless

thousands of miles, I've seen many animals hanging out on the side of the

road. Deer, pronghorn, bears, coyotes, rattlesnakes, and of course, lots of birds. One bird in

particular is so large, majestic, and abundant that it's hard to miss. That bird is the red-tailed hawk.

This raptor is pretty much a standard feature of highways in the western U.S., and actually across

most of North America. Sometimes I've been driving down the Interstate 5 freeway, and I've seen hawk after hawk every couple of miles perched on a fence post or tree branch on the side of the road.

It's like I'm having deja vu or experiencing a glitch in the matrix.

Maybe distance along these roads could be measured not in miles but in hawks. And while we're at it,

maybe a better name for the red-tailed hawk would be roadside hawk. Let me just check to see if that

name is available. Roadside hawk. Oh, dang, that's right. There's already a bird with that name. Seriously,

its official name is the Roadside Hawk, and it has the scientific name Rupornis Magna Rostris.

It's a widespread species found from Mexico, south to Argentina.

Fine, I guess we'll stick with calling our North American bird the red-tailed hawk.

Well, at least the red-tailed hawk has a unique call that sets it apart.

I'm sure no one will ever confuse the shrieking call of this bird with the voice of any other raptor.

Hello and welcome. This is the science of birds!

I am your host, Ivan Philipson. The Science of Birds podcast is a light-hearted exploration of bird biology for lifelong learners.

This episode, which is number 79, is all about the red-tailed hawk, Beautio Jamaicansis.

But in an alternate universe, this episode would be about the Golden Eagle.

That's because I recently asked my supporters on Patreon, using a poll, which species

they'd like this episode to be about.

...