I'm guessing a juvenille Red Shouldered Hawk but not sure? The overall brown color is what is confusing me. Thankyou
Posted by bill meikle on February 17, 2010 at 9:53 PM
Cheryl, it could well be, I have photos of a juv. RS Hawk and it looks very similar. I find their behavior is very significant, the Colorado visitor sits in trees in a wood and hunts along the edge, always flies low, always is in the wood. Redtails are usually out in the open.
Posted by Nate Chappell on February 17, 2010 at 10:56 PM
It's either a Broad-winged Hawk or a juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk, I'm not familiar enough with those species to say for sure.
Posted by David Graham on February 18, 2010 at 1:03 AM
I like broad-winged better than red-shouldered. if its the latter, it's pretty dark, perhaps melanistic. No way it's a red-tail; beak too small, and that cross-banding breast pattern never appeared on a red-tail, juv or adult., and the width of the tail bands is, IMO, most suggestive of that of a broad-winged.
Dave Graham
Posted by Ron Bielefeld on February 18, 2010 at 9:30 AM
I am in no way an expert on hawks, but I am almost sure this is a Broad-winged. I have seem them before here in FL and this is pretty typical of what I have seen.
Discussion
5 repliesDave Graham