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Red-shouldered Hawk (juvenile)

Buteo lineatus

Description:

This smallish hawk was perched on an agave efflorescence near my bird feeder perhaps looking for its next meal.

Habitat:

Whether wheeling over a swamp forest or whistling plaintively from a riverine park, a Red-shouldered Hawk is typically a sign of tall woods and water. It’s one of our most distinctively marked common hawks, with barred reddish-peachy underparts and a strongly banded tail. In flight, translucent crescents near the wingtips help to identify the species at a distance. These forest hawks hunt prey ranging from mice to frogs and snakes. (allaboutbirds.org)

Notes:

Interestingly, we have red-shoulders in the city, which may speak to the maturity of the "urban forest" here.

9 Comments

Ava T-B
Ava T-B 9 years ago

Thanks, Ashley!

AshleyT
AshleyT 9 years ago

An Accipiter (cooper's or sharpie) would be much more slender than this bird, this is an immature red-shouldered. Another dead give-away is the tail. Sharp-shinned at any age don't have white bands on the tail; they have a brown tail with dark bands.

Ava T-B
Ava T-B 10 years ago

Thanks, kdpicturemaker!

kdpicturemaker
kdpicturemaker 10 years ago

Great specimen shots.

Jellis
Jellis 10 years ago

We have Sharpies here but I've yet to photograph one yet that and Purple Finch.

Ava T-B
Ava T-B 10 years ago

Thanks beaker98!

beaker98
beaker98 10 years ago

Gorgeous!

Ava T-B
Ava T-B 10 years ago

Thanks Jerry! It was pretty petite so I think we are right.

Ava T-B
Ava T-B 10 years ago

Thanks, JerryMorrow. So you agree with my ID? I'm never quite sure with juveniles.

Ava T-B
Spotted by
Ava T-B

San Diego, California, USA

Spotted on Dec 6, 2013
Submitted on Dec 22, 2013

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