Raptors, Madera County, California, USA (1 Viewer)

S

SHolt

Well-known member

• Apr 6, 2018

• #1

I am processing images from a Madera Canal inspection for my job from October 31, 2017. I'm just second guessing my identification. They are two different birds and this was the only angle they were observed from. I was lucky that the driver for the inspection likes raptors and was willing to stop on the backroads when there was no traffic to impede.

Thanks for any assistance.

 

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gerdwichers8

Well-known member

• Apr 6, 2018

• #2

Red-tailed Hawks; nice.

 

The Bird Nuts

Birding Duo

• Apr 6, 2018

• #3

Agree, both are Red-tailed Hawks (notice the belly bands).

 

C

ceasar

Well-known member

• Apr 6, 2018

• #4

I think that second bird might be a Light Morph Swainson's Hawk. Its wing tips look to be as long as its tail. There looks to be a light colored bib on the top of its chest and I can't see any white scapular bands that usually are seen on Red-tailed Hawks.

Swainsons are also known to winter over in California's Central Valley in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta according to Wheeler's "Raptors of Western North America" at p. 278.

Bob

 

gerdwichers8

Well-known member

• Apr 6, 2018

• #5

Some American hawks share the headpattern like this bird: a smokey coloured face to a sudden pale earcovert and nape area this contrast is unusual in European raptorts. The species that share this are: Broad-winged; Red-tailed and Swainson's all right.
What is absent in all buteo's except Swainson's, is the combination of a white chin throat and a closed dark uniform breast band at least (in a light morph ). This white chin/throat may be clear-cut straight or open up a bit to the dark breast band.
In a Red-tail, once again the clear cut chin throat may show a general resembling feature but the upperbreast is white in a pale morph.

 

S

SHolt

Well-known member

• Apr 6, 2018

• #6

The slightly different angle of the second bird. (It turned towards the the camera.)

 

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C

ceasar

Well-known member

• Apr 6, 2018

• #7

The "Bib" is more defined.

It is the length of the wings that got me thinking it might be a Swainsons but the wings aren't well defined in the pictures. Their tips should be about as long as the tail.

Bob

 

thebirdguy

:D

• Apr 7, 2018

• #8

I would say both Red-tails

 

KC Foggin

Very, very long time member

Supporter

• Apr 7, 2018

• #9

With those belly bands, I would also say Red-tailed Hawks

 

njlarsen

Gallery Moderator

Opus Editor

Supporter

• Apr 7, 2018

• #10

I understand why Bob would think Swainson's for the second bird given only the first image. The second image, I think all of us agree it is pretty clear cut.

Niels