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A silhouette of a raptor (1 Viewer)

Mila

Well-known member
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Hello,

I took the image in San Francisco.
What this bird is?
Thanks!
 
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Structurally it's a bulky Buteo, which makes Red-tailed Hawk the default. I'm seeing a hint of the "V" mottling typically shown on the back of this species too, but really structure is more important. Very few other options for location, I think.
 
Structurally it's a bulky Buteo, which makes Red-tailed Hawk the default. I'm seeing a hint of the "V" mottling typically shown on the back of this species too, but really structure is more important. Very few other options for location, I think.
Thank you.
Actually an immature bald eagle was seen in the area at the day I took this image.
 
Hope you don't mind but I played with it a bit to make it lighter and my first instinct was Bald Eagle

You've lightened it so much the wings are white. No bald eagle looks like that. Dial back the lightening until all the visible plumage is dark again. You'll probably not notice any contrast between the head and body any more. Also worth noting that the OP was uncertain as to species and specified an immature bald eagle was seen nearby. A white-capped bald eagle is an adult or near-adult, and the white cap is almost always visible to the naked eye, even in photo-unfriendly lighting as seen here.

Anyway, the beak on this bird is on the heavy side for a hawk (which is a point in favor of red-tailed I think, but I'm not too familiar with all the buteos around San Francisco), but definitely not heavy enough for an eagle, unless I'm completely misjudging the angle.
 
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