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ID help please

Discussion

7 replies
Posted by Barb Pflaum on February 26, 2016 at 12:56 PM
ID help please
I think this is some kind of Hawk, but I don't know what kind.  It doesn't look exactly like any of the Hawks in my bird ID book.  It was in a tree at the arboretum in northern Illinois last weekend.

Thanks in advance for your help. 
Posted by John Neukirch on February 26, 2016 at 1:31 PM
Coopers hawk?
Posted by Barb Pflaum on February 26, 2016 at 2:27 PM
Thank you for the suggestion John, but a Cooper's Hawk has red eyes, so I don't think that's it.
Posted by Keith Bauer on February 26, 2016 at 2:31 PM
Body shape and beak looks like a Red Tailed Hawk.  Many variants and colorations exist for Red Tailed Hawks
Posted by Luke Ormand on February 26, 2016 at 3:48 PM
This is 100% Red-tailed hawk.  The tell-tale on the pale versions of this species are its big, chunky size, and the "band" of brown across the belly (which is a bit vague in this particular bird).  The attached image shows a more typical "belly band"  This is the typical coloration on the east coast - though it varies from very pale (Krider's Hawk) to quiet dark culminating in the "dark-morph" red-tailed hawk which is a very dark brown.  There appears to be a geographical delineation for the darkness of red-tailed hawks, with the darker individuals in the west and the lighter individuals on east coast.  Of course, the Krider's hawk is rarely found west of the Rockies, in the south or along the East Coast - go figure!  There's also the subspecies Harlan's Hawk which can resemble a Rough-legged Hawk - with this species being found almost exclusively out west.  The more you know : )

Here is info on the Krider's Hawk. 
Posted by Nate Chappell on February 26, 2016 at 9:11 PM
Red-tailed Hawk, juvenile
Posted by Greg Lessard on February 27, 2016 at 8:31 PM
Hi Barb,
I agree with red tailed.   FYI some cooper's do have yellow eyes.  
Greg
Posted by Barb Pflaum on February 29, 2016 at 4:28 PM
Thanks, everyone, for the ID and information.