7 replies to this topic

[guy_incognito]

I have trouble with dark morph hawks...  All taken today in So Cal.

1. Harlan's?

 

2. Dark RTH?

 

 

3. Dark or intermediate RTH?

 

[creeker]

First two look like regular dark Red-tailed's to me. The third does look like an intermediate leaning towards dark.

[ColoTomo]

creeker:

First two look like regular dark Red-tailed's to me. The third does look like an intermediate leaning towards dark.

Agree with Creeker.  The lighter brown in the upper chest of the third one appears to be "intermediate"

[illin]

Those are some AWESOME hawks! Here in Illinois dark red-tails are birds that people will drive to see.

I agree with Creeker and Colo Tomo. The first(and all) looks like a calurus to me, not enough mottling for Harlan's. I think the tail looks funky because of the back lighting. I am pretty sure that Harlan's is only accidental in Southern California as well, so it would really be a rare find if it was. Here is a link to a 2000 report on the status of Harlan's in SoCal. http://elibrary.unm....p0200-p0202.pdf

 

[guy_incognito]

illin:

Those are some AWESOME hawks! Here in Illinois dark red-tails are birds that people will drive to see.

I agree with Creeker and Colo Tomo. The first(and all) looks like a calurus to me, not enough mottling for Harlan's. I think the tail looks funky because of the back lighting. I am pretty sure that Harlan's is only accidental in Southern California as well, so it would really be a rare find if it was. Here is a link to a 2000 report on the status of Harlan's in SoCal. http://elibrary.unm....p0200-p0202.pdf

 

 

There is a Harlan's that has been reported frequently in this spot.  Unfortunately this bird (#1) was quite far away.  Just after I saw it one of the experienced locals (who only had a brief look) said it was the Harlan's.  He said it was the Harlan's because it looked like a RTH with a white tail.  It really did seem to have a white tail, without any rufous tones unlike #2. 

[guy_incognito]

These are two more pics of #1, in case it helps...  How specific are white streaks on the breast for Harlan's?

 

 

 

 

 

[illin]

OK after those last two photos I agree with you. That is a Harlan's Hawk, congrats! You can see the mottling on the breast and wings in these pics, I could not see that in the first pic.The tail color is clearly white, I mistook it for backlighting in the first pic. The distinct yet smudgy band at the end of the tail is also a Harlan's trait.

Here is a link to a great article on identifying dark Red-tailed Hawks, http://aba.org/birding/v36n5p500.pdf. And here is a quote from the article to go along with your pics.

Dark-morph Harlan’s Hawks can be tricky to identify in flight, but simply put, an adult “dark” Red-tailed Hawk that has white mottling on the breast or that lacks a reddish tail is a Harlan’s.

[guy_incognito]

Cool.  Feels just as good as getting a countable lifer.

Thanks for the link.  It is hard to remember the details on how to differentiate from reading alone, but once you've seen the bird and struggled with the ID, these subtle differences become much easier to remember.