Hawks and eagles (Accipitridae)
Baby red-tailed hawks: from egg to fledgling
A Red-tailed Hawk lays 1–5 eggs. They hatch after 28–35 days, and the young leave the nest 42–46 days later — about 70–81 days from egg to fledgling.
- Eggs per clutch
- 1–5 eggs
- Incubation
- 28–35 days
- Time in the nest
- 42–46 days
- Egg to fledgling
- About 70–81 days
- Broods per year
- 1 per season
- Nest
- Large stick nest high in a tree or on a ledge
- Uses nest boxes
- No
Stage by stage
- Eggs (28–35 days): 1–5 eggs per clutch. Most songbirds start incubating when the last or second-to-last egg is laid, so the young hatch close together; owls and hawks start with the first egg, so their chicks hatch days apart.
- Nestlings (42–46 days): the young hatch with little or no down and their eyes closed. They grow fast on a diet the parents bring in. In the breeding season red-tailed hawks mainly eat voles, mice, ground squirrels and snakes.
- Fledglings: after leaving the nest, young red-tailed hawks are fully feathered but short-tailed and clumsy. They spend days to weeks on low branches or the ground while the parents keep feeding them.
- More broods: 1 per season.
When red-tailed hawks nest, state by state
Nesting starts earliest in Alabama (Jan) and latest in Alberta (Mar). Months are estimates from regional breeding data shifted for latitude.
| State / province | Nesting season |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Jan–Jun |
| Alberta | Mar–Jun |
| Arizona | Jan–Jun |
| Arkansas | Feb–Jun |
| British Columbia | Mar–Jun |
| California | Jan–Jun |
| Colorado | Feb–Jun |
| Connecticut | Feb–Jun |
| Delaware | Feb–Jun |
| Florida | Jan–Jun |
| Georgia | Jan–Jun |
| Idaho | Feb–Jun |
| Illinois | Feb–Jun |
| Indiana | Feb–Jun |
| Iowa | Feb–Jun |
| Kansas | Feb–Jun |
| Kentucky | Feb–Jun |
| Louisiana | Jan–Jun |
| Maine | Mar–Jun |
| Manitoba | Mar–Jun |
| Maryland | Feb–Jun |
| Massachusetts | Feb–Jun |
| Michigan | Feb–Jun |
| Minnesota | Mar–Jun |
| Mississippi | Jan–Jun |
| Missouri | Feb–Jun |
| Montana | Mar–Jun |
| Nebraska | Feb–Jun |
| Nevada | Feb–Jun |
| New Brunswick | Mar–Jun |
| New Hampshire | Mar–Jun |
| New Jersey | Feb–Jun |
| New Mexico | Feb–Jun |
| New York | Feb–Jun |
| North Carolina | Feb–Jun |
| North Dakota | Mar–Jun |
| Northwest Territories | Mar–Jun |
| Nova Scotia | Mar–Jun |
| Ohio | Feb–Jun |
| Oklahoma | Feb–Jun |
| Ontario | Mar–Jun |
| Oregon | Feb–Jun |
| Pennsylvania | Feb–Jun |
| Quebec | Mar–Jun |
| Rhode Island | Feb–Jun |
| Saskatchewan | Mar–Jun |
| South Carolina | Jan–Jun |
| South Dakota | Feb–Jun |
| Tennessee | Feb–Jun |
| Texas | Jan–Jun |
| Utah | Feb–Jun |
| Vermont | Mar–Jun |
| Virginia | Feb–Jun |
| Washington | Feb–Jun |
| West Virginia | Feb–Jun |
| Wisconsin | Mar–Jun |
| Wyoming | Mar–Jun |
| Yukon | Mar–Jun |
Found a baby Red-tailed Hawk?
- Feathered, hopping, can grip your finger: a fledgling. This is a normal stage. Keep pets and children away and watch from a distance; the parents are usually close by.
- Bare skin or only pin feathers: a nestling that fell. If you can see the nest, put it back. Touching it won't make the parents abandon it — that is a myth.
- Injured, cold, covered in flies, or caught by a cat: contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. In the US and Canada, ahnow.org finds the nearest one.
- Don't give water or food. Baby birds can choke, and the wrong food can kill them.
More about red-tailed hawks
Frequently asked
How long do baby red-tailed hawks stay in the nest?
About 42–46 days after hatching. Eggs take 28–35 days to hatch, so it is roughly 70–81 days from the last egg to the young leaving.
How many eggs does a Red-tailed Hawk lay?
1–5 eggs per clutch, with 1 per season.
Where do red-tailed hawks nest?
Large stick nest high in a tree or on a ledge.
What should I do if I find a baby Red-tailed Hawk on the ground?
If it has feathers and hops, it is a fledgling and its parents are almost certainly nearby — leave it. If it is naked or has pin feathers, put it back in the nest if you can. Call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator if it is injured.