Is This a Harris Hawk (1 Viewer)

OK, I am not very good at bird identification although I was able to identify female Harlequin Ducks which, at first, were problematic because they were so different than the males. Be that what it may, I would like some help with the following ID.

Is the bird in the pictures attached (taken at Yellowstone National park in mid-September) one of a Harris Hawk? I have looked at the possible contenders and that is the one I think matches most closely.

Thanks for your kind assistance.

Jeff Ross

Nope, this is a Northern Harrier. The owl-like facial disk in image 3 is a dead giveaway.

Harris Hawk would be quite out of range in Yellowstone!

Nice pictures

UtahnBirder said:

Nope, this is a Northern Harrier. The owl-like facial disk in image 3 is a dead giveaway.

Harris Hawk would be quite out of range in Yellowstone!

Nice pictures

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I have iBird Ultimate and when I search for Hawk, the Northern Harrier didn't even show. After you told me the name, I searched on the Internet and I see that it is quite obvious. My Peteron's guide doesn't match as well.

Thank you for your guidance!

J. Ross

When you search in iBird, it only pulls up birds with that word in its common name. I recommend using the "Refine Your Search" options and selecting location and family--that way the oddly-named birds don't escape your search.

I've never thought about it, but I suppose the way the search feature works is pretty unforgiving to people new to identification!

jbross said:

My Peteron's guide doesn't match as well.

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The orangey tones on the head and breast show it is a juvenile; adult females are a more sandy-brown, and adult males grey of course.

UtahnBirder said:

Harris Hawk would be quite out of range in Yellowstone!

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True for wild birds, though as a very popular falconry species, escapes can occur anywhere (Harris's Hawk is e.g. by far the commonest falconry escape in Britain) :eek!: