Western Bird Guide: Birds of the Rockies and West to the Pacific

by Charles K. Reed

WESTERN RED-TAIL.

337b. Buteo borealis calurus. 21 inches.

This bird varies greatly in its coloration; from the same as the eastern form to a sooty color above and below, with the dark red tail crossed by several bands, where the eastern bird has only one broad band.

Nest.—Placed for choice in evergreen trees at heights from the ground varying from 30 to 50 feet. Two to four eggs, white, usually spotted and blotched with different shades of brown (2.35 × 1.80).