A red-tailed hawk eyes in a branch nest high up in a tree,

Red-tailed Hawk Eyas in Nest

South Carolina, USA

The red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) is a bird of prey that breeds throughout most of North America. Pairs engage in courtship rituals to strengthen pair bonds before breeding. They then construct a stick nest most often in a large tree high off the ground. After 28 to 35 days of incubation the eggs hatch over 2 to 4 days.

The female (hen) broods them while the male (tierce) provides most of the food to the female and the young. A baby hawk is called an eyas, with two or more known as eyasses (pronounced "EYE-ess-ez"). The female feeds them after tearing the food into small pieces. The young typically leave the nest for the first time and attempt their first flights at about 42–46 days after hatching. Photo © copyright by Dr. Edward Mikol.

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