The behavior of flying with the tail closed is typical of hawks flying in
a straight line, usually with the wind. It is espeically noticible in the
accipiters (you almost certainly saw a Sharp-shinned or Cooper's Hawk)

Tail spreading becomes necessary when a hawk has to manuever or turn.


>
>Peggi & Ben Rodgers wrote:
>>
>> Hi Tweets!
>>
>> I watched a small hawk fly over in a big hurry this morning but couldn't ID
>> it. At the rist of sounding like I know nothing about flying hawks (which I
>> don't) do they all fly with the tail closed? Not soaring or gliding, but
>> flapping wings.
>>
>> TIA,
>>
>> Peggi
>> Ben & Peggi Rodgers
>> Veneta, OR (near Eugene)
>> prodgers at efn.org
>> peggir at ori.org
>>
>> "A bird does not sing because it has an answer,
>> It sings because it has a song"
>
>Without the field markings I can't say for sure, but it sounds like it
>may be a Rough-legged hawk.
>
>Rick Wood
>woodr at olywa.net
>woodr at elwha.evergreen.edu
>
>

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