What species is this hawk?

[KidK]

Hi gang,

Got a picture from my Aunt who lives near Seattle. She said it was a Cooper's hawk, but I am 100% positive that it is not.

I haven't even tried to figure out what this bird is, and really have nothing to scale it to, but I am guessing Broadwing or Redshoulder..

That being said, there are a few hawks that are only West of the Mississippi that I am totally unfamiliar with..

Any guesses?

[psalvatore]

im thinking swainsons hawk or redtail

[John]

Yeah, no way it's a coops. Look like a redtail to me, but I'm with Kory. There are several western buteos I don't know very well

[harrishawk_79]

im with you its a swainsons

[dirthawker2004]

I am saying immature RT feet look like the RT as well as the confirmation. but definitely not a coop.

[frootdog]

I say broadwing.

[PeteJ]

Its a Red-tail. Pretty common look for some of the western RTs actually.

[Little Joe]

I dont know your birds in the States very well, but I am 100% positive that its a Buteo. Definately not an Accipiter.

[Jack Mangum]

I would say RT. Can't be certain, but if I was betting I would have to say RT.

Jack

[frootdog]

I say broadwing.

Can I pull a Favre and go with RT?

[robruger1]

RT all the way

[goshawkr]

Hi gang,

Got a picture from my Aunt who lives near Seattle. She said it was a Cooper's hawk, but I am 100% positive that it is not.

I haven't even tried to figure out what this bird is, and really have nothing to scale it to, but I am guessing Broadwing or Redshoulder..

That being said, there are a few hawks that are only West of the Mississippi that I am totally unfamiliar with..

Any guesses?

No doubt - its a redtail. As Pete mentioned, its a text book example of our local subspecies and color morphs.

I live about 40 miles from Seattle. The only buteo in the Seattle area is the redtail, although occaisionally a roughleg will wander through in winter.

Redshoulders have recently expanded their range a bit, and are being seen regularly about 160 miles south of Seattle. However, based on the few redshoulders I have seen, that dosnt look like a match to me.

Broadwings dont occur anywhere in the rockies or west of the rockies. That one is way out.

Swainsons are very common in the rockies, and in eastern Washington where its drier. They are extremely rare in western washington, but once in a while one does get lost and hangs out over here.

[Aquilachrys]

Looks like a Redtail to me. Top photo shows some scapular markings that are not usual for swainsons......even though they are shaded you can still make them out. Markings on the bellyband, the bars etc. are typical redtail. I can see the markings on the edge of the chest being a bit heavier than most redtails which might suggest swainson's, but the face has a redtail look to it. I see both everyday this time of year, in all shades.....and I'd put my money on Redtail.

[sevristh]

The first picture in my opinion looks like a hag red shoulder, as the beak is pretty 'dainty' for a RT. The second 'posture' looks more like that of a RT, but I have seen a few RS's that I mistook for RT's initially. I have seen MANY RS's (they are everywhere here). The one thing that would mark it for sure is unclear in the picture and that would be the tail banding. If it has a black and white banded tail it's a RS. The immy RS and broadwings are almost impossible to tell apart if it's a smaller RS unless you actually have them in hand and can examine the tail bands. But obviously the hag broadwing does not get as red as the RS.

If she is seeing it regularly, tell her to check out the tail. That will tell for sure either way because that bird's definitely a hag regardless of what species it is.

[Raptorick]

It is a western Washington redtail. I lived there most of my life and that's what they look like. I have had swainsons before and they are not in the Seattle area and don't look like that.

[Jeff721]

Red-shoulder, you can see the banding on the tail at the bottom of the first pic. Also something about the proportion of the beak to the rest of the head.

The second pic looks like a different bird.

[goshawkr]

Red-shoulder, you can see the banding on the tail at the bottom of the first pic. Also something about the proportion of the beak to the rest of the head.

The second pic looks like a different bird.

Dude, Red-shoulder hawks dont live in the Seattle area. Your "band" is a shadow from the tree its perched on. The beak proprotion does look odd in that first picture, but its NOT a red-shoulder.

Its a text book perfect example of the redtails I see around Seattle every single day! Buteo ID is very very simple in the Seattle area. We have exactly one common buteo, and very very rarely get two other species wandering through (ruffleg in the winter, and far less commonly swainsons during the warm months)

The California population of red-shoulder hawks are expanding steadly north (due to global warming, no doubt. Global warming also caused my milk to curdle last night), but they are still several hundered miles South of Seattle at their extreme.

[Lowachi]

Global warming also caused my milk to curdle last night),.

Kids leave it on the counter??:D Happens here alot, and I always blame them...but it could be global warming;)
and I'll say tail as well

[KidK]

Thanks for everyone's input.

Jeff, I hadn't looked closely at it, but the two photos DO look like two different birds, even if they are both the same species. To my eye, I think that the second photo looks similar to how redtails around the Midwest typically look.

I will say this, I have trapped around 100 redtails in the past 15 years between Northern and Central Wisconsin, Central Illinois and all over Michigan, but I have never seen a redtail HERE in the Midwest look like the one in the top photo. Just goes to show you how differently this species can look from coast to coast. Redtails are pretty cool hawks!

My aunt has a telescope that she shot through with her camera in the second photo (no, it wasn't Photoshop)..

I laughed when I saw it, thinking about how it looks like a scene from an 80's TV action shows when someone was looking through binoculars.. with two intersecting circles side by side.. LOL

My aunt is pretty resourceful!

[frootdog]

Here is a pic of a Western bird (left) and an Eastern bird (right) both are 2nd year birds but you can get the general idea of the differences.


http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y172/frootdog/P1010065.jpg

[Lowachi]

Here is a pic of a Western bird (left) and an Eastern bird (right) both are 2nd year birds but you can get the general idea of the differences.




Yep, the one in the white hat, yep eastern, yep, yep, definitely eastern.

[frootdog]

Yep, the one in the white hat, yep eastern, yep, yep, definitely eastern.

Also notice who killed more that day :D

[Lowachi]

Also notice who killed more that day :D

yeah, the one on the right, without the white hattoungeout

[Dirthawking]

I don't know....confusedd

Kinda looks like a Kessie to me! :D

As far as Krysie...he just let you hold his rabbits!

[frootdog]

As far as Krysie...he just let you hold his rabbits!

Those 2 kills are actually on video 100% mine!

[Dirthawking]

Those 2 kills are actually on video 100% mine!

Yes, but what did your bird do? toungeout

[greyhawk]

Red-tail