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Hawk ID, Idaho (1 Viewer)

Gary Clark

Registered User
I have a very hard time with hawks. Almost every large buteo we see is a Red-Tailed, but they have so many color variations that I'm baffled when I see something that I *think* might be another species. Such is the case with this large hawk I found on top of a power pole in southern Idaho (farming country, previously sagebrush plains, around 2500' elevation).

Help would be appreciated; I've been working on him for months, and still aren't sure of the ID.

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I think it is a Swainson's Adult Intermediate Dark Morph. See Plate 261 in Wheeler's Raptors of Eastern North America (I know location is different but I'd bet the western version of the book has a similar photograph.) Note white undertail coverts and the glimpse of the underwing pattern and the long wings in relation to the tail length.
cordially,
Bob
 
I see quite a Swainson's around North Texas, & although this bird is darker than the ones around here, it does seem to have the same basic pattern. Given the long wings... I'd say Swainson's.
 
Thanks! I went back to the books, and came away convinced that Swainson's is the best fit. I'll post a large version of the first photo to the Gallery tomorrow.
 
During my birding time in Idaho, I've had about a 60-40 Red-tail to Swainson's distribution.

I have a friend in St. Anthony, ID, and once she learned the field marks of the Swainson's, she started seeing them all over the place! One of the first birds I showed her was a dark morph - beautiful bird, indeed.

Steve in Houston
 
Actually, according to hawkcount.org, Hawk Mountain had one in August. We also had a possible on Bake Oven Knob in September.
 
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