There are plenty of Red-tail Hawks where I come from, and there are Red-shoulder Hawks and a couple more with some red feathers on other parts of their bodies, but I’m not aware of any Red Hawks. There’s no bird that bears that name.
So why are there so many business’ and products (a Ruger revolver, for one) with that name? I know the name has significance in American Indian culture. Did there used to be a mostly red hawk? In all the Red-(whatever) hawks, the red portion is a tiny part of the bird’s body. Is the bird an American Indian myth that’s gained popularity in our non-native culture?
Red Hawk is indeed my own tribal name. It is a hereditary name in my case. I have never seen a thoroughly red hawk, of course, but several sorts appear to be predominantly reddish or rust colored in the proper light.
That’s as I suspected. Us humans tend to romanticize (in a good way) that which we see in nature.
BTW; CateAyo, is that the Miwok tribe? They run the Redhawk Casino near here. I don’t gamble, but I hear it’s an excellent operation.
The most generally reddish North American raptor is the Ferruginous Hawk, the largest Buteo in the US, which is fairly common on the Great Plains. It is the most likely species to be referred to as a “red hawk.”
The Miwok people and Ferruginous Hawks share historical range in Northern California, so that fits too.
I shall no longer criticize the name of the Red Hawk casino here in Northern California. In fact, I may go there and catch one of their music acts and get a bite to eat. But not to gamble.
I feel somehow liberated.
It’s not unusual for the common name of a creature to be inaccurate. As a quick example, thered winged blackbird has only a small patch of red on its wings.
There are also the RedHawks of Miami University of Oxford, Ohio. The name may not be ornithologically perfect, but it is certainly a vast improvement over the previous Redskins.
No, not Miwok. I am Creek, or more accurately Mvskoke or Muscogee. We are originally from Georgia and Alabama. Red Hawk is translated as Cate (Jah tee) meaning red, and Ayo (ah yo) meaning hawk.
