What kind of bird is this?
February 17, 2010 8:45 PM Subscribe
Is this a hawk? If so, what kind?
I saw this bird:
on the branch of a tree outside of a friends home in Chicago two days ago. Is it a hawk? What kind? I was very taken aback by it's presence; I have never once seen a bird like it in the area. Am I making a big deal out of nothing? It this the time of year to see a bird like this? Clearly I know absolutely nothing about birds/migratory habits. I'm sure there are better places to ask (i.e bird watcher's sites) but I figured I'd ask you smarties first. Thanks guys!
I saw this bird:
on the branch of a tree outside of a friends home in Chicago two days ago. Is it a hawk? What kind? I was very taken aback by it's presence; I have never once seen a bird like it in the area. Am I making a big deal out of nothing? It this the time of year to see a bird like this? Clearly I know absolutely nothing about birds/migratory habits. I'm sure there are better places to ask (i.e bird watcher's sites) but I figured I'd ask you smarties first. Thanks guys!
Response by poster: I can't get the link to work, what am I doing wrong?
posted by muxnaw at 8:49 PM on February 17, 2010
posted by muxnaw at 8:49 PM on February 17, 2010
If you're having trouble with the link, you could just post the URL directly.
posted by Salvor Hardin at 8:50 PM on February 17, 2010
posted by Salvor Hardin at 8:50 PM on February 17, 2010
Response by poster: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarahs-photos/4367165216/
There we go, sorry!
posted by muxnaw at 8:50 PM on February 17, 2010
There we go, sorry!
posted by muxnaw at 8:50 PM on February 17, 2010
Certainly a raptor of some kind. If anyone's used to seeing these things you'll probably have an answer shortly, but if you want to speed it up you might want to say where you saw it. Northern hemisphere, I'm (Sherlock-like) guessing, but which continent, country, region?
posted by lapsangsouchong at 8:54 PM on February 17, 2010
posted by lapsangsouchong at 8:54 PM on February 17, 2010
It's a red tailed hawk.
http://www.birdphotography.com/species/rtha.html
posted by ged at 8:57 PM on February 17, 2010
http://www.birdphotography.com/species/rtha.html
posted by ged at 8:57 PM on February 17, 2010
Sharp-Shinned
NYO
(not your ornithologist)
posted by archivist at 8:59 PM on February 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
NYO
(not your ornithologist)
posted by archivist at 8:59 PM on February 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
Or, maybe a sharp-shinned hawk judging from the tail feathers.
posted by ged at 8:59 PM on February 17, 2010
posted by ged at 8:59 PM on February 17, 2010
I would think it is more like a coopers hawk.
note the size and tail banding and the possible red eye.
Location as well, can be seen in more urban environs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooper%27s_Hawk
posted by vidarling at 9:00 PM on February 17, 2010
note the size and tail banding and the possible red eye.
Location as well, can be seen in more urban environs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooper%27s_Hawk
posted by vidarling at 9:00 PM on February 17, 2010
ged is correct.
If you find yourself curious about this kind of thing again, you can usually narrow it down using the visual search wizard at whatbird.
posted by Sallyfur at 9:01 PM on February 17, 2010
If you find yourself curious about this kind of thing again, you can usually narrow it down using the visual search wizard at whatbird.
posted by Sallyfur at 9:01 PM on February 17, 2010
Looks a lot like a sharp shinned hawk. (That page specifically references Utah, but also mentions this hawk is found throughout North America.) But definitely a raptor with that nice, sharp beak!
posted by BlahLaLa at 9:02 PM on February 17, 2010
posted by BlahLaLa at 9:02 PM on February 17, 2010
Response by poster: The bird was spotted in Chicago.
Yes ged, it must be a red tailed hawk, thanks! My internet sleuthing led me to some photos of red tailed hawks, I just wasn't sure if that's what it was because the colors of feathers on the breast on the bird I saw looked different from the photos I found.
posted by muxnaw at 9:02 PM on February 17, 2010
Yes ged, it must be a red tailed hawk, thanks! My internet sleuthing led me to some photos of red tailed hawks, I just wasn't sure if that's what it was because the colors of feathers on the breast on the bird I saw looked different from the photos I found.
posted by muxnaw at 9:02 PM on February 17, 2010
Not a red tailed hawk. Likely a Coopers or a Sharp-Shinned hawk. Note the obvious male plumage but total lack of a red tail.
posted by strixus at 9:06 PM on February 17, 2010
posted by strixus at 9:06 PM on February 17, 2010
I've seen similar raptors around DC--Capitol Hill and environs, mostly. Literally on the Capitol grounds, but also around the Smithsonian museums, and further out in the surrounding neighborhoods, too. It is, indeed, surprising to see such, well, wild animals in the city, but it does happen.
posted by MrMoonPie at 9:09 PM on February 17, 2010
posted by MrMoonPie at 9:09 PM on February 17, 2010
It's definitely not a red-tail. We have lots and lots of them around here, and that's not one.
posted by BlahLaLa at 9:11 PM on February 17, 2010
posted by BlahLaLa at 9:11 PM on February 17, 2010
So pretty. I'm throwing in with those who say sharp-shinned.
posted by notquitemaryann at 10:01 PM on February 17, 2010
posted by notquitemaryann at 10:01 PM on February 17, 2010
Hi. I'm a volunteer hawkwatcher for the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory. In the last six+ years, I've seen literally thousands of RTHAs (red-tailed hawks) and SSHAs and COHAs (sharp-shinned and Coopper's hawks, repsectively).
It's not a red-tailed hawk.
It's either a SSHA or a COHA - as others have noted, they are difficult to distinguish, especially when perched. The red eye, along with the full pinkish banding on the breast and belly, make this an adult.
COHAs typically have a black cap that looks a little more...pointed. It often (not always) creates a dark line that falls just below the eye, and gives them a "mean" look. COHAs have longer central retrices (tail feathers) than SSHA, which generally gives their tails a wedge shape. However, feather wear and molting can make this a hard call on a perched bird at this time of year.
But going with my gut, I say it's an adult Sharp-Shinned hawk.
posted by rtha at 10:16 PM on February 17, 2010 [8 favorites]
It's not a red-tailed hawk.
It's either a SSHA or a COHA - as others have noted, they are difficult to distinguish, especially when perched. The red eye, along with the full pinkish banding on the breast and belly, make this an adult.
COHAs typically have a black cap that looks a little more...pointed. It often (not always) creates a dark line that falls just below the eye, and gives them a "mean" look. COHAs have longer central retrices (tail feathers) than SSHA, which generally gives their tails a wedge shape. However, feather wear and molting can make this a hard call on a perched bird at this time of year.
But going with my gut, I say it's an adult Sharp-Shinned hawk.
posted by rtha at 10:16 PM on February 17, 2010 [8 favorites]
I just had this conversation with my dad on the phone last week:
Dad: Blah blah blah... relatives coming to dinner...can you come up?
Me: No, maybe, likely not, i've got a lot of...
Dad: OH OH OH, I just saw a bird, a big bird, like a hawk, fly by!... what is it?
Me: dunno dad, I'm on the phone you see.
Dad: I can still see it. It's on the tree over by ms. betsy's house.
Me: How big is it? Does it have Mutton Chops? is it mottled or solid white on the front? does it have a barred tail?
Dad: I'm not sure, not pure white on the chest, but it's only a little bit bigger than a crow... what are mutton chops? What do you mean by barred tail?
Me: Dad! Mutton chops like facial hair.
...
Ergo. as we are in Chicago (or chicagoland) and the bird is reasonably small and there are no mutton chops(otherwise perigrine falcon could be it) I will have to echo all other calls of Cooper's hawk.
Red tailed hawk doesn't fit at all. Sharpshins aren't as common.
posted by Cold Lurkey at 11:43 PM on February 17, 2010
Dad: Blah blah blah... relatives coming to dinner...can you come up?
Me: No, maybe, likely not, i've got a lot of...
Dad: OH OH OH, I just saw a bird, a big bird, like a hawk, fly by!... what is it?
Me: dunno dad, I'm on the phone you see.
Dad: I can still see it. It's on the tree over by ms. betsy's house.
Me: How big is it? Does it have Mutton Chops? is it mottled or solid white on the front? does it have a barred tail?
Dad: I'm not sure, not pure white on the chest, but it's only a little bit bigger than a crow... what are mutton chops? What do you mean by barred tail?
Me: Dad! Mutton chops like facial hair.
...
Ergo. as we are in Chicago (or chicagoland) and the bird is reasonably small and there are no mutton chops(otherwise perigrine falcon could be it) I will have to echo all other calls of Cooper's hawk.
Red tailed hawk doesn't fit at all. Sharpshins aren't as common.
posted by Cold Lurkey at 11:43 PM on February 17, 2010
See, now, I'd go with Cooper's Hawk over a sharpie, because a) it looks to be bigger than a sharp-shinned would be and b) the tail proportion to body looks greater.
Hard to totally tell without a good idea of scale, though. How far away is it from the brick? What's the approximate diameter of the branch where it's perched?
posted by Stewriffic at 7:56 AM on February 18, 2010
Hard to totally tell without a good idea of scale, though. How far away is it from the brick? What's the approximate diameter of the branch where it's perched?
posted by Stewriffic at 7:56 AM on February 18, 2010
I dunno - bigger in relation to what? Male Coops and female Sharpies are most likely to be confused with each other, because they're so similar in size (in most raptors, the females are about 1/3 larger than males). In adults, the males are blue-grey on the back, and females more brown-grey, but we can't see the back of this bird, so that's not useful.
If I saw this in the field, I'd lean towards Sharpie (the tail doesn't look that long to me, but with it being perched and all puffed up, it's hard to tell), but I'd probably call it a CooperShin.
posted by rtha at 8:40 AM on February 18, 2010
If I saw this in the field, I'd lean towards Sharpie (the tail doesn't look that long to me, but with it being perched and all puffed up, it's hard to tell), but I'd probably call it a CooperShin.
posted by rtha at 8:40 AM on February 18, 2010
Oooh, good point on the difference in size for M/F. I'd forgotten that.
Just for the sake of being contrary (because I agree it's almost impossible to tell which way to go with it), I'll stick with calling it as a Coop.
And now I challenge you to a dance off.
posted by Stewriffic at 8:45 AM on February 18, 2010
Just for the sake of being contrary (because I agree it's almost impossible to tell which way to go with it), I'll stick with calling it as a Coop.
And now I challenge you to a dance off.
posted by Stewriffic at 8:45 AM on February 18, 2010
WTF! I had just opened this thread, stepped outside for a moment, and saw a big red-tail glide over! Just now! No shit!
A few weeks ago we saw a large hawk like the one in the photo, not a red-tail, perched in a tree in downtown Toronto. Couldn't get close enough to do a good identification.
note: If you see a small falcon that looks like a peregrine, it is probably an American Kestrel. Very similar to a peregrine, but more common in urban/suburban areas. Not like the photo, of course.
posted by ovvl at 8:45 AM on February 18, 2010
A few weeks ago we saw a large hawk like the one in the photo, not a red-tail, perched in a tree in downtown Toronto. Couldn't get close enough to do a good identification.
note: If you see a small falcon that looks like a peregrine, it is probably an American Kestrel. Very similar to a peregrine, but more common in urban/suburban areas. Not like the photo, of course.
posted by ovvl at 8:45 AM on February 18, 2010
If your small falcon is red, blue, and cream, it's a male kestrel (female kestrels lack the blue wings and have different tail banding). If the small falcon is grey-blue (or grey-brown, if female) on the back but otherwise kinda looks like a peregrine, it might be a merlin - the markings are different on the breast than they are on a peregrine.
Here is an AWESOME photo of a merlin taking a kingbird in flight, while being attacked by another kingbird.
I'll quit bird-nerding here. Memail me if you want me to babble on some more.
posted by rtha at 9:18 AM on February 18, 2010
Here is an AWESOME photo of a merlin taking a kingbird in flight, while being attacked by another kingbird.
I'll quit bird-nerding here. Memail me if you want me to babble on some more.
posted by rtha at 9:18 AM on February 18, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by vidarling at 8:47 PM on February 17, 2010