9 replies to this topic

[David Case]

Here are some hawks that I need IDs for along with my best guesses ...

1 ?


2 Northern Harrier female


3 Northern Harrier female


4 Northern Harrier female - taking on a Bald Eagle!


5 Northern Harrier female - being hassled by a crow


6 Northern Harrier female


7 Northern Harrier male?


TIA, folks.

[Sparky the Cuttlefish]

All are Red-tailed Hawks except for the first and last. The first and last are both Accipiters, I think, and I'd guess that the first is a Sharp-shinned Hawk and the last is a Cooper's Hawk? I'm not 100% sure on those two, though, so wait for a second opinion!

[fisherman1313]

1&7 look like immature Cooper's hawks to me, all your other hawks are Red-tails. A good field mark to look for on the Red-tails is the dark patagial mark (the leading edge of the underwing). The red on the tails of 4&6 are another good indication.

[Sparky the Cuttlefish]

Why do you say Cooper's on #1? The breast and belly streaking seems quite heavy for a Coop to me, and what we can see of the head looks quite petite.

[fisherman1313]

Limpkin, I think you're right. After I looked again it does look more like a Sharpie.

[David Case]

All are Red-tailed Hawks except for the first and last. The first and last are both Accipiters, I think, and I'd guess that the first is a Sharp-shinned Hawk and the last is a Cooper's Hawk? I'm not 100% sure on those two, though, so wait for a second opinion!

1&7 look like immature Cooper's hawks to me, all your other hawks are Red-tails. A good field mark to look for on the Red-tails is the dark patagial mark (the leading edge of the underwing). The red on the tails of 4&6 are another good indication.

OK, that's good to know.

Why do you say Cooper's on #1? The breast and belly streaking seems quite heavy for a Coop to me, and what we can see of the head looks quite petite.

Limpkin, I think you're right. After I looked again it does look more like a Sharpie.

Thanks! So the consensus so far is 1 - Sharp-shinned, 2-6 - Red-tailed, 7 - Cooper's.

[BarnSwallow]

As it's been mentioned, the patagial mark and red tail on a couple are the best field mark in these pics. That's a fantastic pic with the eagle, by the way! As you become more experienced you will be able to tell at a glance that these are not harriers. Seeing a harrier from below is a pretty rare thing! They hunt by flying very low over the ground - that's usually the first thing people notice about them. Harriers have a distinct white rump, which is usally obvious because you are usually looking at the top of the bird. Also, they have long. narrow wings, which are usually held in a slight dihedral (V shape) like a turkey vulture. Once you see a few, they become pretty easy to ID.

[David Case]

As it's been mentioned, the patagial mark and red tail on a couple are the best field mark in these pics. That's a fantastic pic with the eagle, by the way! As you become more experienced you will be able to tell at a glance that these are not harriers. Seeing a harrier from below is a pretty rare thing! They hunt by flying very low over the ground - that's usually the first thing people notice about them. Harriers have a distinct white rump, which is usally obvious because you are usually looking at the top of the bird. Also, they have long. narrow wings, which are usually held in a slight dihedral (V shape) like a turkey vulture. Once you see a few, they become pretty easy to ID.

Yes, I have noticed that harriers are usually low flying. And the white rump is easy to spot when they are hunting. But of course that would not be visible if they did happen to get up higher and overhead. Is the darker head a good field mark for Red-tails? I notice that no one mentioned that but it is quite visible in all of the shots except #3. I think that may be what got me on the wrong track. This pic is a female Northern Harrier, correct?



And it has a dark head. So that would mean it shares that feature with Red-tails and a dark head would therefore not be a good field mark. Looks like I am answering my own question. Also the harrier is not fanning its tail, but that could change as it flies.

[BarnSwallow]

Some red=tails have light heads, and some other hawks have dark, heads, so no, it's not a consistent field mark.I have only seen a harrier overhrad once or twice - it's pretty unusual to see them like that. I've only seen it during migration - they just don't soar around in circles like buteos. The long narrow wings are the best shape field mark for them. Nothing else really looks like that.

[Pat B.]

I've seen quite a few overhead here, but not far overhead. Usually, you can see the facial disc (see Barn Swallow's photo). That, combined with the long narrow wings and tail, flight pattern, and habitat helps with the ID. And, you can nearly always see that white rump as even an overhead Harrier rocks back & forth; it's quite large and prominent.