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Spotting

Description:

This was taken by my friend, Laurie Jensen. I don't know any details.

11 Comments

AndrewOrgill
AndrewOrgill 8 years ago

If you search for photos of adult male Northern Harriers, you will see that they clearly look exactly like your bird. There's really no doubt that this is a male Northern Harrier. The description of the flight style you gave is really irrelevant since it's not flying in this photo. And "owl-like disk" is the appropriate description of the face, which is even given in the Cornell link you provided...

Jellis
Jellis 8 years ago

And I never said owl-like disk. I said owl face

Jellis
Jellis 8 years ago

You will need to read it again.
The Northern Harrier is distinctive from a long distance away: a slim, long-tailed hawk gliding low over a marsh or grassland, holding its wings in a V-shape and sporting a white patch at the base of its tail. Up close it has an owlish face that helps it hear mice and voles beneath the vegetation. Each gray-and-white male may mate with several females, which are larger and brown. These unusual raptors have a broad distribution across North

andyarct
andyarct 8 years ago

In the all about birds harrier link, from Jellis, the light morph rough-legged hawk is listed as a similar species . I think that's what this is, though it's hard to tell from the picture they provide.

Jellis
Jellis 8 years ago
AndrewOrgill
AndrewOrgill 8 years ago

male harriers do not have the owl-like facial disk or a female or immature male...

Jellis
Jellis 8 years ago

Would it be an immature one Ashley?

AshleyT
AshleyT 8 years ago

Yes, it's a harrier

Jellis
Jellis 8 years ago

are you sure. I don't see the owl face and there seems to be a lot of feathers down the leg.

AndrewOrgill
AndrewOrgill 8 years ago

Male Northern Harrier was correct. All field marks are correct

LaurieJensen
LaurieJensen 8 years ago

I took this photo Thank you Andrew for posting it here for me!!! This Hawk has the grey wing coloring of a Male Northern Harrier, but has way to many feathers all the way down its legs. And the distinctive marking around the eye isnt there for a Harrier. its way to big for a Merlin, and there isnt enough Blue/grey color on its head or the orange colors on its chest for a Falcon Pleas help me with the ID Im kinda new to this birding ID thing Thank you so much

andyarct
Spotted by
andyarct

Eureka, California, USA

Spotted on Mar 5, 2016
Submitted on Mar 5, 2016

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