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Thread: What kind of raptor am I?

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    BPN Viewer Antonio Lopez's Avatar
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    Default What kind of raptor am I?

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    I found this bird at Bosque del Apache last October. I haven't had any success IDing it. Hope someone can help. Thanks.

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    Looks like a Red-tailed Hawk. In western North American the plumage is quite variable from lighter to darker than the versions seen in the east. This is obviously at the dark end of variation. The lack of rufous in the tail, if not an artifact of the angle, would indicate that this is a first-year bird.

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    BPN Viewer Antonio Lopez's Avatar
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    Thank you Declan for your help. I thought it might have been a Common Blackhawk.

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    Definitely not Black Hawk. They have really broad black and white tail bands. Looking at what appears to be a mostly whitish tail with a black band at the tip, I wonder if this is a "Harlan's" Red-tailed Hawk, a bird considered by some to be a good candidate for species status.

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    Hey Paul,

    I don't think this is a Harlan's as they tend to look black rather than brown as this bird appears. They also often show some lighter streaking on the breast. In about 3 months the Harlan migration will peak up here; looking forward to their return.

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