Red-tailed Hawks live in Florida year-round, but fall and winter can bring extra birds south from northern parts of the continent.

That seasonal influx is one reason a hawk perched on a roadside pole, fence post or dead tree may seem especially common once cooler weather arrives.

Start with shape before color. Red-tailed Hawks are broad-winged buteos with relatively short tails. In flight they often soar in wide circles with long, rounded wings.

Most adults in eastern North America show the rusty-red tail that gives the species its name, but juveniles do not yet have it.

Plumage varies widely, so the red tail should not be the only clue. Many light-colored birds show a pale chest with a darker band of streaks across the belly.

They are open-country hunters. Red-tailed Hawks watch fields, roadsides and pastures for rodents, rabbits, snakes and other prey, often choosing an elevated perch with a wide view.

They are less likely than Cooper’s Hawks to hunt songbirds around a backyard feeder because mammals make up much more of their diet.

Cornell notes that Red-tailed Hawks are more numerous across much of the continent in winter when northern migrants join year-round residents.

The fall-and-winter takeaway: if you start noticing more big, broad-winged hawks watching fields and roadsides around Southwest Florida, some may be winter visitors joining the birds that already live here.