Help please to identify these hawks (1 Viewer)

[benoitjh]

I saw these birds within minutes of each other in the same location. It was earlier this winter in S. Central BC, Canada.
Someone had mentioned there was an immature Goshawk in the area but I am not sure if this is it.
Thanks

 

[lou salomon]

1 is an adult sharp-shinned hawk
2 a young Buteo species, probably red-tailed hawk.

 

[KC Foggin]

I'm going with Sharp-shinned for 1 and a Red-shouldered Hawk for 2.

 

[benoitjh]

1 is an adult sharp-shinned hawk
2 a young Buteo species, probably red-tailed hawk.

Thanks, both would make sense for the location. Just curious...why would you say SSHawk for #1 rather than Cooper's Hawk?

 

[connorco]

Red-tailed for #2

 

[Microtus]

I agree with Lou and connorco. Red-shouldered Hawk looks different and is not normally found in BC.

 

[birdmeister]

Thanks, both would make sense for the location. Just curious...why would you say SSHawk for #1 rather than Cooper's Hawk?

Several features point to this being an immature Sharp-shinned Hawk.

1. Small head makes the eye really look large.
2. The tail is very neatly squared, if even triangular. The tail can be confusing (especially when the birds are molting), but this one's fairly straightforward.
3. The vertical streaking on this bird's throat and upper chest make it an immature. However, the belly feathers sticking out from the wing bend show broader, salmon-colored horizontal bars. In general, immature Coopers' have almost exclusively vertical streaking, while Sharpies often show this barring on the flanks.

 

[benoitjh]

Several features point to this being an immature Sharp-shinned Hawk.

1. Small head makes the eye really look large.
2. The tail is very neatly squared, if even triangular. The tail can be confusing (especially when the birds are molting), but this one's fairly straightforward.
3. The vertical streaking on this bird's throat and upper chest make it an immature. However, the belly feathers sticking out from the wing bend show broader, salmon-colored horizontal bars. In general, immature Coopers' have almost exclusively vertical streaking, while Sharpies often show this barring on the flanks.

OK! very good explanation, thank you

 

[lou salomon]

Several features point to this being an immature Sharp-shinned Hawk.

1. Small head makes the eye really look large.
2. The tail is very neatly squared, if even triangular. The tail can be confusing (especially when the birds are molting), but this one's fairly straightforward.
3. The vertical streaking on this bird's throat and upper chest make it an immature. However, the belly feathers sticking out from the wing bend show broader, salmon-colored horizontal bars. In general, immature Coopers' have almost exclusively vertical streaking, while Sharpies often show this barring on the flanks.

adult sharpies do have streaks on throat. the flank feathers you mentioned that are sticking from the wing bend look orangey and with little contrast to the white ground. juvenile underparts feathers are boldly dark brown and white, that's why to me this looks like an adult bird.

 

[Deb Burhinus]

Textbook

 

[birdmeister]

adult sharpies do have streaks on throat. the flank feathers you mentioned that are sticking from the wing bend look orangey and with little contrast to the white ground. juvenile underparts feathers are boldly dark brown and white, that's why to me this looks like an adult bird.

Thanks, Lou! Perhaps you're right. I thought the upper chest showed some thin dark streaks, in addition to the throat, but I also think the back color is hard to tell for sure and it may well be gray over brown.

 

[Lisa W]

Hi, just wanted to remind you to try and put the location in your thread title. We ask you to do this so those that know the birds in that part of the world are more apt to look at your thread and help. Thanks.

 

[benoitjh]

adult sharpies do have streaks on throat. the flank feathers you mentioned that are sticking from the wing bend look orangey and with little contrast to the white ground. juvenile underparts feathers are boldly dark brown and white, that's why to me this looks like an adult bird.

To make it a bit easier...I should have provided the front view too, I thought the back view showed the coloration and tail batter.