Which hawk is this? (1 Viewer)

[Jon M]

My guess is a sharp-shinned hawk. Seen February in Missouri.

 

[MelospizaMelodiaFan]

Doesn't look like sharp-shinned to me. Some kind of immature buteo is more likely. Someone will nail it down.

 

[KenM]

Could it be an early immature Swainson’s Hawk?

Cheers

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

Seems like an immature Red-shouldered Hawk to me.

 

[qwerty5]

Red-shouldered Hawk indeed. Note the translucent primary crescents

 

[Jon M]

Red-shouldered Hawk indeed. Note the translucent primary crescents

What part of the hawk is the primary crescent? The part of tail feathers furthest away?

 

[aeshna5]

What part of the hawk is the primary crescent? The part of tail feathers furthest away?

Wrong part of the anatomy! Primaries are the main flight feathers (along with secondaries which are closer to the body). If you look carefully at the photo you can see the pale crescents near the bases of those feathers.

 

[Butty]

What part of the hawk is the primary crescent?

Knowing (at least) the basics of bird topography is an essential in getting to grips with ID. See:

Topography - BirdForum Opus

www.birdforum.net

The translucent part of the primaries that is characteristic of red-shouldered hawk is the pale-looking narrow patch that lies at right angles to the wing's leading and trailing edges and runs immediately inboard of the dark-tips of the outermost primaries. Your photo shows it very well on both wings.