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Hawk or Eagle in Honeoye NY, USA (1 Viewer)

Liane

New member
Hi, first posting...

Trying to identify a large hawk or eagle that I saw in the road (alive) on Sept 8, 2018.

Saw this big fellow standing motionless in the center of the lane on a 2 lane country road, holding a severed furry tail (and attached guts) of something in it's talons of one of it's feet. It was as if he was guarding his meal. Looked rather large.

Size: approx 14-16" tall, puffy (9-10" diameter at chest). Can't say wingspan as he sat with wings folded the entire time.

We drove by slowly and he looked at us like he was only mildly annoyed at our presence. Didn't seem perturbed at all.

Made a u-turn and came back for a second pass and to take a picture. A few other cars had stopped and were wondering what to do. It may have been unclear to them if the bit of guts it was holding was it's own innards. However as we made the 2nd pass he hopped to the shoulder and it seemed the guts were not his, just something he was carrying.

Any ideas what type of bird this is? And why so large.. is it really that big or just puffing itself up in defense, etc?

Pictures attached.
 

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Agree with Red-tailed Hawk. It has a pale gray Iris found on Juvenile Red-tailed Hawks. They get their Red-tails after moulting in their 2nd year. Two field marks are visible on this one: Its dark cummerbund like belly band and its white back strap like blotches on its scapulars (back).

They are large Hawks, averaging 17 to 22 inches long (females are larger than males) and are quite common and are frequently seen perched along Interstate highways. (This one seems to have been stuffing its crop which helps it look even bigger.) You can't see its Tarsi (shins) but Red-tailed Hawks have thick and large ones.

They are wide spread throughout the USA and Canada with about 6 or 7 subspecies. This one is an "Eastern" Red-tailed Hawk.

Bob
 
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Thank you all. I did try looking up pictures of hawks and other birds on the internet to look for a match, and there were some Red Tailed Hawk pictures among them, but I didn't make the connection, partly because the bird I saw was just so big. I guess it takes an expert eye. But when you point out specific features like the cummerbund that definitely helps.
 
Thank you all. I did try looking up pictures of hawks and other birds on the internet to look for a match, and there were some Red Tailed Hawk pictures among them, but I didn't make the connection, partly because the bird I saw was just so big. I guess it takes an expert eye. But when you point out specific features like the cummerbund that definitely helps.

There also is an easy identification mark if you see one soaring. They have dark colored patagial markings (brown to black) along the front edge of their under-wings. See the 1st page of the link below.

Scan through the link to see the great variety of plumage the different sub species have. With a little practice and experience they are easy to identify.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-tailed_Hawk/overview

Bob
 
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