What's going on with these wings (1 Viewer)

Okay, I'm fairly certain this is a Red-shouldered but correct me if I'm wrong.

What I am really interested in is the cutouts on each wing. For the whole 10 minutes or so this hawk circled overhead the cutouts were evident at all times so I don't think wind had anything to do with it.

Moult might have everything to do with it. In raptors, moult in the flight feathers happen a few feathers at a time, to allow the bird to continue flying and hunting. It starts with the feather(s) falling off, after which they are replaced by new feathers growing out. I do not have any books that go into detail with timing of moult in US hawks, so I cannot know if the time of year is typical for Red-shouldered H.

The alternative explanation could be damage to a couple of feathers, but that rarely results in the symmetrical pattern seen in your images.

Cheers
Niels

Thanks a lot Niels. I have never seen this before. Cool.

Hey KC,

Like many raptors, Red-shouldered Hawks molt their flight feathers symmetrically (like this).