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Buteo lineatus
Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) at Big Cypress National Preserve.
The Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) is a medium-sized hawk. Its breeding range spans eastern North America and along the coast of California and northern to northeastern-central Mexico. Males are 43 to 58 centimetres (17 to 23 in) long, weigh about 550 g (19 oz) (1.2 lbs) and have a wingspan of 96 cm (38 in). Females are slightly larger at 48 to 61 cm (19 to 24 in) in length, a weight of about 700 g (25 oz), and a wingspan of about 105 cm (41 in). Adults have brownish heads, reddish chests, and pale bellies with reddish bars. Their tails, which are quite long by Buteo standards, are marked with narrow white bars. Red "shoulders" are visible when the birds are perched. These hawks' upper parts are dark with pale spots and they have long yellow legs. Western birds may appear more red, while Florida birds are generally paler. The wings of adults are more heavily barred on the upper side. Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawks are most likely to be confused with juvenile Broad-winged Hawks, but can be distinguished by their long tails, crescent-like wing markings, and a more flapping, Accipiter-like flight style. This bird is often confused with the Red-tailed Hawk. (Credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-shoulde.........)
Thanks Liam,
With your input and help from WhatBird.com http://www.whatbird.com/Forums/forums/th...
I'm re-posting as Red-shouldered Hawk.
The dark morph Broad-winged Hawks are very rare, and only found west of the Great Plains. One showing up in Florida would be a very rare sighting. The primary projection does not reach the end of the tail on Red-shouldered either. That characteristic is included to differentiate the Broad-winged from the Short-tailed. Broad-winged doesn't show the barring on the primaries and the pattern on the back isn't nearly as intricate as that of the Red-shouldered. Broad-winged Hawks aren't nearly as pale as this bird either. They have dark brown heads. Red-shouldered Hawks of the Florida subspecies are very pale, identical to this bird. Compare:
Florida Red-shouldered Hawk: http://www.greglasley.net/images/RA/Red-...
Juvenile Broad-winged Hawk: http://www.nuvo.net/images/blogimages/20...
From this comparison it should be obvious that the bird in this spotting is a shut and close Red-shouldered Hawk.
This looks like a Broad Winged Hawk to me. Most likely a dark juvenile in it's first year. The wings do not reach the end of the tail which is an identifying characteristic. Also note the mottled patern caused by the white tipped feather edges on the nape and mantel. Great picture.
Much too pale to be a Broad-winged Hawk, also the tail and wing pattern are all wrong for Broad-winged.
Spotted on Feb 5, 2011
Submitted on Jan 6, 2012
+0
