At 03:11 PM 11/25/98 PST, Jane Westervelt wrote:
>The only book I have to look at for hawks is the NGS Field Guide, so
>perhaps someone with more resources available to them could shed some
>light on why this wouldn't be a Broad-winged Hawk. The unfeathered
>legs, lightly streaked chest, dark malar stripe, dark banded tail
>with white/light terminal band, and light eyes fit. I realize
>these characters fit other species as well, so how do you tell them
>apart?

I've never seen a young broad-winged hawk without a streaked breast.
I've not seen that many, but from what I know seeing an unstreaked
broad-wing like this would be as usual as an unstreaked Coop/sharpie.
But my knowledge is limited. The bird in the photo does show, albeit
in very washed-out fashion, the "dark-light-dark" pattern of red-tail.

Also, this bird doesn't appear to show the exaggerated, long flight
feathers that give broad-winged hawks their name. And that patagial
mottling is most un-broad-winged like. Though lighting and film
could be exaggerating it.

Broad-winged have red-tail looking heads that look out-of-proportion
to their body when perched or in the hand, too. Sort of like a
red-tail head stuck on a Coop's body. The bird in the photo
appears to have RT proportions, to me.



- Don Baccus, Portland OR <dhogaza at pacifier.com>
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