There is a debate going on in my local Nextdoor forum. I would like some help identifying this beautiful bird. Is this a Golden Eagle or is this a large hawk, potentially a Red Shouldered hawk. I think it’s an eagle As The other hawks don’t have solid colored heads, but I’m not sure about his light colored chest. Help!
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Hello from San Francisco Bay Area + Bird ID help (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter GwenMa
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- golden eagle
A Red-Tailed hawk. Heavy build, pale belly, gentle vertical striping in a band across the chest, typical Buteo head.
The one slightly odd thing about this bird to my eyes is that Red Tails usually have a pale throat (this one has brown). I am guessing this is an immature (lack of actual red tail), but not a juvenile (dark eye). 1.5 year old? Though it could be that the red tail (actually burnt orange) is not very visible from the underside like this.
The one slightly odd thing about this bird to my eyes is that Red Tails usually have a pale throat (this one has brown). I am guessing this is an immature (lack of actual red tail), but not a juvenile (dark eye). 1.5 year old? Though it could be that the red tail (actually burnt orange) is not very visible from the underside like this.
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Hello and welcome to the forum, enjoy and all the best.
Hi GwenMa and a warm welcome from me too.
I'm sure you will enjoy it here and I hope to hear about all the birds you see when out and about.
I'm sure you will enjoy it here and I hope to hear about all the birds you see when out and about.
Soliderity
Member
Welcome to the forum !
Is there any telltale sign it is not a Golden Eagle? The person seems certain it is, because it was apparently quite large. I’ve lived in California my entire life and have had zero eagle sightings, but they do live here. Any tips on when and where to find them? They are just magnificent in size, at least the Golden breed. I’ve seen a couple of bald eagles in Washington state, but never here.
Mmmm..... Golden Eagles just don't look like that. Have a look at our Opus article for this species: Golden Eagle - BirdForum Opus
I think I'll move this thread to the ID forum, as they'll be able to help you more.
I think I'll move this thread to the ID forum, as they'll be able to help you more.
Correct. Also: all-dark head; unbarred (and faintly rufous) tail. Thus an adult. Bill is too big and plumage-pattern wrong for red-shouldered hawk.
Bill too small. Head-pattern, underbody-pattern and tail-pattern are all wrong (see above).
Judging the size of a lone bird is notoriously unreliable.
Thank you so much! I agree on the single bird/size thing. It’s really hard to tell how big. I see red tailed hawks all the time, very prolific around here. Thanks for sharing the Golden Eagle opus.
The easiest sign for a beginner is the pale belly. Golden eagles are dark-brown underneath all the way (not just the head). The Red Tailed Hawk is one of the largest Buteos in the US, and a large female can sometimes be confused for an eagle from a large distance (until a true eagle comes along), so it's better to look at plumage than at size. There is a dark morph of the Red-Tailed Hawk that is particularly tricky, but luckily the bird in this picture is not a dark morph at all.
For a slightly more experience birder, the main sign is a completely different body build of a hawk (Buteo) versus that of a true eagle (Aquila). Buteos are stocky, have short legs that are easily hidden in belly feathers, relatively short necks, and their overall profile looks "plump." An eagle has much longer, almost fully feathered legs, longer neck, and a significantly longer tail. In fact, many people who observe an eagle for the first time think, "my my what long legs he has" (to which the eagle might say, "all the better to stab you with if you were a marmot or a fox"). One exception -- fish eagles, including Bald Eagle, have somewhat shorter legs than Aquila eagles do, but are unmistakable for other reasons, such as the massive bill.
I only got to spend time watching Goldens in Europe, where they were hunting Brown Hares on grassy subalpine slopes. One day I will find them here in the US, one day...
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As to where to look for eagles in the Bay Area, they may appear almost anywhere, but in general Goldens tend to be most often seen in sparsely inhabited mountainous areas with open vegetation while Balds are more likely to be around large bodies of water. The Birding Lists Digest (digest.sialia.com) compiles sightings from birding listservers all over the country. The ones from Northern California come first, which is convenient for those of us living in the area. Eagle sightings are sometimes reported on the local listservers, so you can check there for areas where they are currently being seen.
Belmont is the location. We have mountain lions galore here too, they are literally everywhere every night. I’m going to put up a camera in my coastal redwood to see if I can capture any of those guys. It’s sort of strange to think mountain lions are easier to spot than eagles!
I was thinking of getting a bird feeder camera too. Not that I think I will catch eagles, but maybe owls? Owls who might be feeding themselves by catching mammals trying to eat the seed. Not that I want to make it easy on the owls, as a squirrel lover. But it might be interesting to see what happen. Thoughts on this approach? Thoughts on bird feeders?
connorco
Well-known member
I don't know too much about the San Mateo area (I'm a little further north), but Crystal Springs reservoir definitely has Bald Eagle, and theirs a chance for Goldens in any open area in the hills up there.
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