I am thinking I photographed a Red-tailed Hawk but I am not 100% sure. Anyone know?
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Any idea on what bird this is?
- Thread starter DavidT
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Hard to say for sure. Could be an immature red-shouldered hawk with the teardrop shaped dark spots. Immature hawks always give me fits in ID.
Looks like it could be a red-tailed. Hard to say with this close up - but what a beautiful portrait shot.
Looks like a juvenile Cooper Hawk. What was the habitat area like (marsh or wooded)? Do you have a full body photo?
Wooded and sadly I don't, I got two quick frames and gone.
Red-tailed or shouldered, definitely not a Cooper's. Would need to see more of the bird to answer 100% I'd lean toward red-shouldered based on the habitat.
Not really. Normal sized Texas hawk
Nice Hawk portrait
Here is a confirmed immature red-shouldered I captured a while back. Does this look like your hawk?
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Little bit. Hard to tell
Woody Meristem
Well-known member
That perfectly clear breast without any dark markings says red-tailed all the way. If it's not a red-tailed the lack of markings on the breast would be unusual for any other species.
I have no answer to your question, but I really like your photo.
Backdoor Arts
Well-known member
Fairly certain it's an immature-but-maturing Red-shouldered Hawk since you can see the chest transitioning to a burnt orange instead of the purer white of a Red-tailed. Great photo.
Agreed
I’m pretty sure it’s a Cooper’s hawk
Beautiful image. Well done! My Merlin Bird ID app identifies it as a Red-tailed Hawk.
Ugh, I'm so back and forth on this bird. The arrow points to what is likely it's belly belt and and the lack of any red inside the circle makes me go back to RTHA (instead of imm. RSHA). I think I agree with Merlin now. Merlin has a way to go, but it's definitely getting better.
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Doug Herr
Well-known member
dtibbals' bird is an immature Red-tailed Hawk. The unmarked breast eliminates Red-shouldered Hawk and Cooper's Hawk. Examples of immature birds:
The bill and the clear breast of dtibbals' bird eliminate any Accipiter species:
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Red-tailed Hawk plumage is highly variable, from the very pale eastern birds to dark chocolate brown (immature shown here), so the breast color by itself does not point toward or away from Red-tailed Hawk. In this photo, things to look for include the unmarked breast with darker belly band (eliminates both Red-shouldered and Cooper's) and the faint thin tail bands, which would be broad distinct bands if it were a Red-shouldered Hawk of any age:
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Looks exactly like a Red Tailed hawk to me, but then, I don't have Red Shouldered hawks in this part of the country.
I'd need a much more distinct belly band to indicate red-tailed. They would not have the reddish tan coloring on the breast but more dark brown spots as a juvenile. They are also noticeably larger than other hawks.
The reddish tan breast is classic coloring of a red shouldered hawk. It's also consistent with the size. Juvenile Cooper's Hawks have similar coloring and a noticeably smaller size and long tail. The yellow eye color and shape of the brow suggests juvenile Cooper's to me.
Cooper's also tend to perch lower - on a deck or fence while a red-shouldered perches 25-30 feet up in a tree or higher at tree tops. Red Tailed hawks tend to be large, so the perch in tree tops.
Doug Herr
Well-known member
This is an immature dark morph Red-tailed Hawk. Note the dark breast; you can see the tail does not have the broad bands of a Red-shouldered Hawk. There is a lot of plumage variation in Red-tailed Hawks.
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Doug Herr
Well-known member
Another example of Red-tailed Hawk plumage variation, this bird is Jack, a non-releasable captive at the UC Davis California Raptor Center. At the time he was photographed he was a young adult male with a bright red tail. Note the breast is not entirely clear of markings and is a rufous color. Also note the head profile which is very similar to that of the bird in dtibbals' photo.
crc.vetmed.ucdavis.edu
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JACK: red-tailed hawk
JACK: red-tailed hawk "Adopt" Jack! Jack, a red-tailed hawk (whom we believe to be a male from his weight and size), was brought to the Center in 2012 as a juvenile bird. He showed signs of respiratory problems, and he was wearing anklets, which indicated that he'd been in captivity for a while...
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