The Red Tailed Hawk (Simply referred as "Hawk") is a hawk and a tertiary antagonist in the film Rango. The hawk has a metal beak meaning she probably lost it during a clash.

Role in the Film

Rango met the Hawk for the first time when he was wandering in the Mojave Desert, when the Hawk was predating. The chameleon barely avoided a death at the bird's talon but a frog called "Rockeye" however was snatched up by her and eaten.

Later, the Hawk appeared behind Rango in Dirt, during the latter's duel. With incredible luck, Rango killed the Hawk by causing a gravel-filled water tower to fall and crush the bird, while she was frozen of fear. After she is killed by Rango the townsfolk cook her up and use her remains to make soup.

The Hawk was feared by everyone in Dirt, including Rattlesnake Jake. Therefore, killing the Hawk led to Rango being accepted as a hero in the town and becoming the new sheriff.

Trivia

• As seen in "Breaking The Rules: Making Animation History", the hawk was referred to during production as "Redtail Hawk".
• While in the movie the hawk is referred to as female it should be noted that her gender is inconsistent behind the scenes
  • In the original screenplay, the hawk is referred to with both male and female pronouns at random.
  • In The Ballad of Rango, the hawk is referred to as male by animation supervisor Hal Hickel.
  • In Rango: The Novel, the hawk is referred to both as male and as "it".
  • In the movie, Rockeye exclaims "Here she comes! You better run, mojito!" confirming her as female in the actual movie
• According to The Ballad of Rango, a biologist told Hal Hickel that she was impressed by the hawk's realism.
  • It can be possible that the hawk had lost her beak during a past battle with the Rattlesnake Jake. In fact, the serpent also has a harmed body part (the rattle) and it's also the only species of animal he fears, probably for this reason,
  • Hawk and Snake are naturally enemies in real life
• It's unknown if the hawk could talk or not, but she seemed to be incapable of talking like some animals in the film. (Bats for example)

Gallery

Hawk Original Artwork

The full, original concept art for the hawk, illustrated by Crash McCreery (as seen in Breaking The Rules: Making Animation History)

The hawk brandishes his talons

The page on the hawk from "The Ballad of Rango"

An image of the hawk from Rango: The Novel

The hawk, as featured in a 4K wallpaper