Red Tail?

I am not a birder but it is not for lack of want but rather for lack of reach and locale. Regardless, some crows alerted me to the possibility of seeing one of the neighborhood hawks and so I had enough time to grab the camera and to see him/her soaring away.

I believe this is a Red Tail hawk but I know little more. I see it in the area a few times a week at best and it seems very alert to my presence and keeps a good distance away when I am seen. There is a Cooper's Hawk that is much more tolerant of me distance wise but I haven't seen it much lately.

The image is highly cropped but hopefully the quality is good enough for one of you to tell me a bit more about this beautiful bird. Location is North Texas and the image was taken today. Gender, Age ...?

Thanks in advance.

I agree it's a Red-tailed Hawk...a first year bird because it hasn't molted out it's juvenile tail feathers. When it molts the tail feathers the bronze/red ones will come in that gives it it's name.

Duane - thank you for the information, I appreciate it.

Yep, Red-tailed hawk.

Thanks for the confirmation!

Not a bad shot even with the heavy crop-banding in the tail shows, good eye detail, I'd be happy with it. As skittish as redtails are in my area, I'm happy to get an identifiable blob. Anything better than that is a bonus. Nicely done.

Thanks Shackleton - I consider myself fortunate that I was able to get a frame snapped while he/she was within 200'.

Great shot.

Appreciate it Lester.

Very nice capture. It seems in nice, bright sunny days, they want to fly way up there. I'm still working on a BIF for the ones around here. I've managed a shot or two while they are perched feeding, but not BIF. Good job!!