tags: Ferruginous Hawk, Buteo regalis, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Ferruginous Hawk, Buteo regalis, photographed on the Fort Pierre National Grasslands south of Pierre, South Dakota. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Terry Sohl, 16 February 2009 [larger view].
Photo taken with a Canon 50D, 400 5.6L.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Rick Wright, Managing Director of WINGS Birding Tours Worldwide, writes:
Here's a long-winged, long-tailed buteo with a dull white tail. For many of us, that might have been enough to get us thinking about Ferruginous Hawk, that regal raptor of the western prairies. There are many other characters visible in this photo that confirm the identification.
Working our way forward, we notice the contrasting rusty "leggings" and sparsely marked belly. The flight feathers of the wing are only faintly barred, even unbarred in the case of the outermost primaries. The underwing coverts show regular rows of rusty trips, with the terminal portions of the under primary coverts creating a dark "comma" at the base of the hand. The very leading edge of the wing, however, is white, a surefire distinction from similarly plumaged Red-tailed Hawks with their blackish patagial bar.
This is such a fine photo that we can even see the long yellow gape, reaching back along the "face" to beneath the eye.
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Adult Light Ferruginous Hawk. Dark leg feathering, large bill with a long gap. Lovely bird.
Ooops, Sunday morning spelling or typing - not good...should read: Adult Light morph, etc etc, large bill with long GAPE, as in bird lips as a young friend of mine likes to say. This is a hawk that looks as if it's smiling
This was a welcome challenge - I need more practice with raptors. After much study, I think that the dark legs and light unbanded tail identify this lovely bird as a Ferruginous Hawk.
Well, I came in from my reader to say it was a Ferruginous Hawk but see that a couple others beat me to it. Fab photo.
Squeak? Sniff sniff. Squeeaaaakkkk!! SQUEEAAKKKKKK! Run run run⦠SQQUUUEEAAAAAAAAAAKKKAAAKKKKKKKKK!!!!1!
Ferruginous Hawk. The light coloration with the rusty feathers (hence "ferruginous") along with the yellow beak gape.
Too big to be a hawk, too small to be an eagle. It's gotta be a Ferrooj. I agree with Kathy and Michelle, lovely bird.