Juvenile Ferruginous

[galvan]

An in-flight shot of a juvenile just miles from William Randolph Hearst's estate. Quite the beauty.
http://www.dosgatos.com/birds/digi/ferrg-web.jpg

birdman

[Rosah]

WOW! This sure is quite the beauty and your photo does it justice!

[mymantra]

Beautiful shot of a beautiful bird ! I haven't seen one of those - yet.

[jayhunter]

Yes a beauty but what is it ? Ferruginous is red but is it a hawk or an eagle?

[galvan]

Sorry for using the vernacular. Ferruginous Hawks <i>Buteo regalis</i> are the largest of the hawks (Buteos) in North America. They range from the Canadian prairies through the rockies and parts of the Pacific coast.

They get their name from the rufous or red wrist patches and leg feathers which they eventually sport. This juvenile is still in a light phase but you can make out the feathered legs (covered down to the talons) and the dark wing tips which later on help accent the "Ferrugionous" label.

An adult in full plumage is quite a sight, and they are large with a wing span of almost 1.5 m.

I am seeing more of them along the central coast of California where I live. This is the first juvenile I've seen and photographed. In the spring they are very common in places like Idaho, especially the Snake River Raptor area.

Hope this helps.

t

[jayhunter]

Brilliant that fills in the gaps nicely, my only time in California was in an aircraft route proving a new type in high density airways. We had the weekend off in San Francisco, but the City was so alive and I was only 21 can't remember having time for feathered birds.

[oldsquaw]

This species has both light and dark phases. This bird appears to be a light phase and the plumage should not change much. The typical phase is the one with the rufous/ferruginous legs. The dark phase can be all very dark brown. The gape is one of the keys to ID. The gape extends back to at least the eye.

[wandalf]

What a beautiful shot of a truly magnificent bird. Congratulations for capturing him in flight.

[galvan]

Thank you Wandalf. Glad you enjoyed the image.

t

[bcurrie]

galvan, very pretty, and regal. I have not seen one of these since I lived in California.

[IanF]

What a smashing shot Galvan, beautifully taken. You captured the feather detail and plumage markings very nicely.

[paula]

Super shot of a beautiful bird.
I like the clearly visible patches on the underside of his pale coloured broad wings.
Well done.