Red-tailed Hawk

Last September I saw this fella flying around, a Red-tailed Hawk. They are one of our most commonly seen raptors, behind only the Turkey Vulture and (probably) Black Vulture. Both our vultures give a much darker look up in the sky. I'm not sure how many owls (especially Screech Owls) we have, but they're much less likely to be seen during the day.

You shouldn't be looking for a truly red tail; adults have tails that are more like a burnt orange, juveniles are a light brown. The ones in our area usually have a fairly distinctive "belly band", basically speckles that go across the belly. No other raptor in my area should have this band of speckles.

You can see the belly band well in the 1st picture while I think you've got a hint of the burnt orange tail in the 2nd picture.

September 19, 2021 at Duke Farms
Photo 168281295, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

September 19, 2021 at Duke Farms
Photo 168281320, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)



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