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Found in an area of open farmed fields where there are spotty tree bands. Close to a NWR.
Can anyone help with this ID. I am not very good with hawks. I am thinking a rough-legged or broad-winged
The photos are heavily cropped and the best I could get.
Thank you in advance.
Deb
2nd photo for ID
Hi Deb- I think the fact that no one has jumped on this one suggests that it's tough. At least I think it is.
Given the overall dark colouration, banded tail with wide band at tip, the underwing pattern, and your location suggests a dark phase Rough-legged Hawk, Buteo lagopus. I think I can convince myself that I can see some feathering on the legs as well.
John-
Thanks for ID.
Hawks seem to have such variation that I have trouble with IDs. Always want it to be that one really different hawk for this area:)
Thanks again.
Deb
John, I'm not disagreeing with you but:D I didn't see what I thought was feathers on the legs of the bird and check out this page on Harlans Hawk tails http://www.aba.org/birding/v41n1p30.pdf
Harlan's was my other choice Roy but I've never seen one so had to go by Sibley. So we are thinking along the same lines! The link shows AMAZING variation in the tail of the Harlans. It being a Red-tailed Hawk, I imagined the tail to be a lot more plainly marked than Deb's bird. I guess not! The attached shows what I thought might be construed as feathers on the leg.
John, those Harlans are real toughies without actually seeing the bird or better pics.(for ID purposes) I'll go along with your ID.
John/Roy-
Thanks again for help with ID.
I wish I had been able to get closer and get better images. I had one other photo that showed the legs - they were dark all the way to the feet (but as you saw the quality of the pics - it could have been shadow).
In the open field areas, we get the rough-legged and red-tail. Harlan's could be a possibility but not often here. I guess that doesn't mean that they won't be here - we had a Northern Goshawk show this spring which is a once every 5 years kinda thing and we have nesting Krider's. There was one other dark morph red-tail that I photographed earlier in the week (different tail). It was the tail on this one that confused me. (Roy- thanks for the link).
Thanks again
Deb
