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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Hawk ID Southern California (1 Viewer)

SheriDi

Newbie
This shouldn't be that difficult, but I can't find a picture of ANY hawk with the solid brown head coloring like this one. I think I need to invest in some better books!

A juvenile of some sort maybe?
 

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hm... thats a very interesting bird. His feathers are so worn it looks like he went through a tornado. My best guess would be a Red-tailed Hawk, though it might also be a swainsons but this birds bill seems to large for a swainsons.
 
My best guess would be a Red-tailed Hawk, though it might also be a swainsons but this birds bill seems to large for a swainsons.

Are Swainson's typically more slender? Can't tell if this one is actually larger or does it look that way because it's feathers are ruffled.
 
Your bird is a Red-tailed Hawk - of western race calurus.
Red-tailed Hawk shows much individual and geographic variation and there are at least three dark and six light morphs. Western calurus usually differ from eastern borealis in having a dark throat with a darker head and more rufous and barring on underparts. The wellknown 'belly-band' of Red-tailed is often wider than on eastern birds but can be absent. The tail on your bird seems to be all whitish, usually reddish on adults - which your bird seems to be (dark eye - paler on young birds and younger adults) and lacking a dark subterminal band.

Some western Red-tails:

http://www.pbase.com/garrettlau/redtailedhawk&page=all

Swainson´s Hawk is also a variable hawk and apart from a different plumage it has long wings extendin past the tail tip:

http://www.pbase.com/marykayrubey/image/58148722

Although on western Red-tails wing-tip usually reach the tail tip (shorter on eastern) on your bird the wing tip extends past the tail tip - but that is mainly because the tail is worn.

JanJ
 
Thanks JanJ, lots of good info. Even looking at the gallery you linked to, it's difficult to tell them apart, but I can see the defining points you make.
 
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