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Hawk ID question (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter wildpaws
- Start date
After looking at some of the wonderful raptor shots on this site, I'm now leaning towards juvenile Red Tailed, they are abundant here though I normally only see the adults which are easy to ID. I was out playing with my new camera when I caught this hawk lunching on a grey squirrel, he/she allowed me to get within fifteen-twenty feet of it and calmly kept eating.
Clyde
Clyde
wildpaws said:
A young accipiter, like Cooper's, should have streaking underneath (and prefers feathered prey), so that would make yours a Buteo. It looks like an immature, either Red-shouldered or Broad-winged. I think the light-colored eye would make it Red-shouldered.
wildpaws said:
Now you're making me reconsider. I figured Red-shouldered or Broad-winged based on the strong mustache, whereas I expect Red-tailed to be more uniform dark on the head. The clear white underneath might be better for Red-tailed, though, although I expect some markings regardless. Hopefully an immature hawk expert will be along soon.
I'm by no means the expert coming along, but I can be sure this bird's a young Red-tailed. Clean breast (belly-band streaking is variable), white "V" on scapulars, size-comparison with its prey, and overall jizz. When it comes to North American raptors, Red-tailed should be the first thing to rule out (just because of pure commonality).
Young eastern Red-shouldereds, while sharing the pale iris of a young Red-tailed, have some red on their "shoulders" (scapulars), an evenly streaked breast, a dark chin (vs. the white chin shown on eastern RTHAs, juvie and adult alike), and lack the longer primary projection that Red-taileds have. As for a juvie Broad-winged, that would be early right now for Virginia (though not impossible), but would not have this bird's size, primary projection, pale iris, or white scapular "V". Accipiters (referring to Coops & Sharpies for the moment) are also smaller and give a very different kind of jizz, having such long tails and short wings.
Young eastern Red-shouldereds, while sharing the pale iris of a young Red-tailed, have some red on their "shoulders" (scapulars), an evenly streaked breast, a dark chin (vs. the white chin shown on eastern RTHAs, juvie and adult alike), and lack the longer primary projection that Red-taileds have. As for a juvie Broad-winged, that would be early right now for Virginia (though not impossible), but would not have this bird's size, primary projection, pale iris, or white scapular "V". Accipiters (referring to Coops & Sharpies for the moment) are also smaller and give a very different kind of jizz, having such long tails and short wings.
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As usual, Alex is right. It's a juvenile RTH. As he notes, the first thing you have to do here in the East is eliminate the possibility that the raptor is a Red Tail. The clues here are the pure white upper breast and throat; the evidence of white "back pack straps" on the birds back and it's overall large size. You can also get a glimpse of it's "belly band" between it's legs. A Broadwing Hawk is significantly smaller, about 14Oz as opposed to about 2.2 pounds for a Red Tail.
It's an excellent photograph!
Bob
It's an excellent photograph!
Bob
