Red-Tailed Hawks in NYC

Red-tailed Hawks have become a common breeding bird in New York City over the past 30 years. Photo: François Portmann

Picture this: you’re walking in a New York City park on a sunny summer day, and suddenly a big shadow moves over and past you. You look up and see a large, heavy-bodied bird as it slowly glides over the trees and out of sight. You may catch a glimpse of a burnt orange-colored tail. Or perhaps not. But the bird was obviously too thick and compact to be a heron or egret, and too colorful to be a crow, the other likely suspects you’ve already seen flying by this morning. And then you hear Blue Jays shrieking. Aha! You were lucky enough to have been in the company of a Red-tailed Hawk.
 
Odds are there’s a story behind that bird, and that you can find out about that bird’s parents, its past, and perhaps even the nest it’s returning to with that squirrel you didn’t see clutched in its talons. We’re lucky enough to be living in a city where we don’t have to rely on serendipity to experience and enjoy these magnificent creatures.
Pale Male and Lola on their Fifth-Avenue Nest. Photo: Rik Davis
Pale Male and Lola on their Fifth-Avenue Nest. Photo: Rik Davis
A protestor in front of 927 Fifth Avenue, December 2004. Photo: NYC Audubon
A protestor in front of 927 Fifth Avenue, December 2004. Photo: NYC Audubon
NYC Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe, actress Mary Tyler Moore, and NYC Audubon Executive Director E. J. McAdams are honored for their efforts on behalf of Pale Male and Lola at the NYC Audubon Fall Roost, in 2005. Photo: Geraldine de Haugoubart
NYC Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe, actress Mary Tyler Moore, and NYC Audubon Executive Director E. J. McAdams are honored for their efforts on behalf of Pale Male and Lola at the NYC Audubon Fall Roost, in 2005. Photo: Geraldine de Haugoubart

Pale Male and the Rise of Red-tailed Hawks in NYC

In the past 30 years, Red-tailed Hawks have made themselves at home in New York City. Some are resident, while some are just passing through. But each spring, in each borough, many pairs will begin nesting, and the birds have become a frequent sighting as they hunt for squirrels and pigeons, and soar above. The most famous nest in the City remains on Fifth Avenue on the Upper East Side, that of the extraordinary Pale Male, hatched in 1990. At the time a rare sighting in New York City, Pale Male's surprising appearance in Central Park, and his eventually successful nesting attempts with several partners within view of onlookers, quickly grew him a devoted fan club.  Little did his fans know that they would soon be called upon to defend him and his new-found home, and that Pale Male would become the talk of the town.

Pale Male was first observed in Central Park during the summer of 1991, a first-year bird (identifiable as such by his striped brown, rather than red, tail—and named by local naturalist and author Marie Winn for his very light coloring). Over the ensuing decade, Pale Male coupled with several mates, including "First Love," "Chocolate," and "Blue." Their fates, as those of several later mates, exemplified the dangers of urban life for these raptors: First Love was injured, rehabilitated, and then died from eating a poisoned pigeon; Chocolate died from injuries sustained in a collision with a car, while Blue disappeared and was presumed dead in 2001.

Pale Male surveys his territory in Central Park. Photo: <a href=\"https://www.lilibirds.com/\" target=\"_blank\">David Speiser</a> "}" data-trix-content-type="undefined" class="attachment attachment--content"> Pale Male surveys his territory in Central Park. Photo: <a href="https://www.lilibirds.com/" target="_blank">David Speiser</a>


The attention to these deaths contributed to the successful banning of the bird poison Avitrol in the City in 2000, after cooperative advocacy by NYC Audubon, Audubon New York, National Audubon, and other environmental organizations and local activists including actress Mary Tyler Moore and NYC Audubon chapter award winner Mary Kelly. (Read more about our continuing advocacy concerning rodenticide use).

Pale Male's next mate, "Lola", began nesting with him atop a decorative window pediment at 927 Fifth Avenue, a co-op facing Central Park at East 74th Street. This nest site, which is visible from Central Park and continues to be active today, became the source of great renown for Pale Male and Lola: in December 2004, workers at the co-op removed the birds' nest, along with metal anti-pigeon spikes that had helped to keep the nest in place. Neighboring hawkwatcher Jane Koryn immediately sounded the alarm, and a loose coalition sooned formed to bring attention to the birds' plight: devoted hawkwatchers such as Marie Winn and Lincoln Karim were joined by NYC Audubon, led by Executive Director E. J. McAdams, Board President Marcia T. Fowle, and Project Safe Flight founder Rebekah Creshkoff, in a daily protest vigil in front of the co-op building.

Protestors defend the interests of Pale Male and Lola, December 2004. Photo: NYC Audubon "}" data-trix-content-type="undefined" class="attachment attachment--content"> Protestors defend the interests of Pale Male and Lola, December 2004. Photo: NYC Audubon


The fight to reinstall the spikes that had inadvertently provided an anchor for the nest soon enlisted other partners. As McAdams wrote at the time, "all levels of Audubon came and supported us." NYC Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe also got involved, and City Councilmembers Eva Moskowitz and Peter Vallone, Jr., advocated and introduced a resolution to the City Council supporting Pale Male and return of the "nest spikes."

Ultimately, the many concerned New Yorkers who wrote letters, made calls, and stood in the cold on Fifth Avenue on behalf of Pale Male and Lola prevailed. A nesting cradle was devised by architect Dan Ionescu and installed. Though some adjustments to this cradle were determined necessary and made in 2008, in order to allow the birds the room to turn their eggs, Pale Male then continued to nest and raise chicks (known as "eyasses," when speaking of birds of prey) at the site. Lola disappeared in 2010—but was succeeded by mates Lima, Zena, and Octavia. Longtime NYC Audubon supporter Sandy Fiebelkorn, who saved some of the sticks from Pale Male's original nest and placed them in the new cradle when it was installed, continues to monitor the birds of 927 Fifth Avenue and communicate with the now supportive building management on their behalf.

Octavia and Pale Male (or a similarly plumaged red-tail, perhaps), March 2020. Photo: <a href=\"https://www.urbanhawks.com/\" target=\"_blank\">D. Bruce Yolton</a> "}" data-trix-content-type="undefined" class="attachment attachment--content"> Octavia and Pale Male (or a similarly plumaged red-tail, perhaps), March 2020. Photo: <a href="https://www.urbanhawks.com/" target="_blank">D. Bruce Yolton</a>
 
Pale Male not only pre-dates the internet, which is amazing in itself, but was one of the first Red-tailed Hawks ever to have been observed nesting on a building. This celebrated raptor’s story has been told in print (Marie Winn’s excellent Red-tails in Love is the place to start) and film (The Legend of Pale Male by Frederic Lilien) and his ongoing exploits (and those of his mates and offspring) are faithfully chronicled and illustrated on sites across the web such as D. Bruce Yolton’s Urban Hawks blog and Lincoln Karim's palemale.com.

Now, decades after Pale Male's arrival, some believe that the famous raptor passed away sometime in the last decade—and that the bird seen today nesting at 927 Fifth Avenue is another red-tail with similar pale plumage. Others assert that the original Pale Male lives on, though 30-plus years would make him one of the oldest Red-tailed Hawks on record. As Pale Male was never banded, no one can say for sure. One thing is clear: New Yorkers' devotion to Pale Male, and to our ever-growing population of urban Red-tailed Hawks, will live on.

Red-tailed Hawk Chick in New York City. Photo: <a href=\"http://www.fotoportmann.com/\" target=\"_blank\" >François Portmann</a> "}" data-trix-content-type="undefined" class="attachment attachment--content"> Red-tailed Hawk Chick in New York City. Photo: <a href="http://www.fotoportmann.com/" target="_blank" >François Portmann</a>

The City's Red-tailed Hawks Make Themselves at Home

In the years since Pale Male put his mark on the City and history, NYC's Red-tailed Hawk population has expanded considerably: dozens of pairs now nest in all five boroughs. And other Red-tailed Hawks have taken to raising their young in similarly unlikely locations, some drawing very large crowds. In spring 2011, “Bobby and Violet” and their offspring “Pip” gained legions of fans across the nation when their nest at New York University was captured via webcam and streamed worldwide. Though both Violet and Bobby have since died, Red-tailed Hawks continue to nest in the same spot. A pair dubbed "Mama and Papa" nested for many years on a fire escape in Queens. In recent years the trials and tribulations of a pair nesting near the East Village’s Tompkins Square Park has been followed assiduously by its human neighbors.

A Red-tailed Hawk wows onlookers in Tompkins Square Park. Photo: <a href=\"http://www.fotoportmann.com/\" target=\"_blank\" >François Portmann</a> "}" data-trix-content-type="undefined" class="attachment attachment--content"> A Red-tailed Hawk wows onlookers in Tompkins Square Park. Photo: <a href="http://www.fotoportmann.com/" target="_blank" >François Portmann</a>
 
Each area of the City has its own nesting red-tails—from a pair nesting atop the Flushing Meadows Corona Park Unisphere in Queens to a duo in the lights of a Randall’s Island sports field. The web continues to be a great place to become acquainted with and learn more about these raptors. Just search “Red-tailed Hawk New York City” to find current blogs and webcams. Or look through our Birding in NYC pages, profiling over 100 parks in the City, to find out where Red-tails are nesting and frequently spotted. 
A Red-tailed Hawk swoops in to find a perch in Manhattan's Union Square. Photo: <a href="http://www.fotoportmann.com/" target="_blank" >François Portmann</a>
A Red-tailed Hawk swoops in to find a perch in Manhattan's Union Square. Photo: François Portmann
Help Our Urban Red-Tailed Hawks
While Red-tailed Hawks have claimed New York City as their permanent residence, they do so at great risk: Buildings and glass, cars, and curious humans can all be hazards. NYC Audubon coordinates an online group of experienced biologists and rehabilitators that come to the rescue when injured or fledgling raptors are in need. We also conduct frequent advocacy with building and business owners, as well as with the general public, on the behalf of red-tails across the City. Red-tails are frequently victims of poisoning from ingesting poisoned rats and pigeons, and NYC Audubon coordinates with NYC Parks and other agencies to limit the use of rodenticides near nesting areas, particularly during the breeding season. We also facilitate research on birds that are found poisoned, to better understand which chemicals are to blame. 

Anyone can help spread the word on best practices for rodenticide use, however. See our Rodentides and Birds of Prey brochures and learn how to help protect raptors from rodenticide poisoning.
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