What bird actually provides the iconic cry often associated with bald eagles in the U.S.?
You hear that? That’s the sound of freedom. But as mighty as the bald eagle may appear, it doesn’t have the chops to represent the U.S. vocally. As a bald eagle glides across a wilderness that slowly fades into a waving star-spangled banner, a red-tailed hawk screeches behind a curtain to hide the eagle’s true sound, which is more like a cackle. But don’t let this truth lessen the might that is America, as we’ll let freedom cackle…erm, I mean ring. Source: NPR
The red-tailed hawk is a bird of prey, one of three species colloquially known in the United States as the “chickenhawk,” though it rarely preys on standard sized chickens.
Scientific name: Buteo jamaicensis
Mass: 1.1 kg Encyclopedia of Life
Conservation status: Least Concern (Population increasing) Encyclopedia of Life
Length: 45 – 65 cm Encyclopedia of Life
Did you know: Great horned owls are known predators of red-tailed hawk nestlings. eol.org