A common North American hawk, it circles over open country on broad wings, riding rising air.
Most have a brown back and pale underparts, and adults often show a reddish tail. Young birds have brown tails, and plumage also varies by region.
It searches for prey while circling over fields or watching from poles and fenceposts. It can also face into the wind and hover without flapping.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.