Hawks

The Hawks section contains over 170 images of Red-Tailed Hawks, Cooper’s Hawks, Light morph
Ferruginous Hawks and Harris Hawks from locations across the Western United States, separated
into three pages: Red-Tailed Hawks in Flight; Red-Tailed Hawk Portraits and Assorted Hawks.

The Hawks Index has sample images from each page and display composites linked to the pages.

Click an image to open a larger version.
Use your back button to return to this page.
Click a Display Composite to select a page.

Raptor Section Index

 

Eagles

 

Hawks

 

 

Alaskan Bald Eagles
Bosque del Apache Bald Eagles
Brackendale and Yellowstone Eagles
Eagle Portraits

 

Red-Tailed Hawks in Flight
Red-Tailed Hawk Portraits
Assorted Hawks
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Harriers and Owls

 

Falcons, Kestrels and Merlins

 

 

White-Tailed Kites

 

Northern Osprey

 

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Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Raptors Collection where a Gallery can be selected.

PhotoshelterGallerySection


Direct Links:

Eagles     Red-Tailed Hawks     Assorted Hawks
Owl and Harrier        Falcons & Kites        Osprey

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Juvenile_SW_RedTail_X7501M


Juvenile Southwestern Red-Tail X7501 M

A juvenile Southwestern Red-Tail in the long rays of the setting sun over Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge.
The sparse patagial markings at the leading edge of the wing identify this as a Light-Intermediate morph.

All of the landscape (horizontal) large version images linked from the thumbnails are 1500 pixels wide.
Portrait (vertical) images are 1200 pixels tall (1290 pixels with title bar). Images designated with an “M”
in the shot number are 5:4 aspect ratio, 1500 x 1290 with a title bar, or 1500 x 1200 without a title bar.
Some of the portrait images are also designated as “M”, and are 1500 pixels tall (plus the title bar).

DarkMorph_Red-Tailed_Hawk_X6645


Dark Morph Red-Tailed Hawk X6645

A Dark morph Red-Tailed Hawk scans for prey over the fields of Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge.

Note the nearly uniform dark brown body, head and underwing coverts of the Dark morph Red-Tail.
Primary and secondary feathers are pale and barred, with a dark band at the wingtips and trailing edges.

Red-Tailed_Hawk_X9047


Red-Tailed Hawk X9047

Red-Tailed_Hawk_1948


Red-Tailed Hawk 1948

Intermediate morph Red-Tailed Hawks in the skies over Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge.

Light and Intermediate morph Red-Tailed Hawks have a tan-orange to buff body with a light to dark reddish brown
belly band and dark underwing coverts at the leading edge of the wing (darker and broader in Intermediate morphs).

RufousMorph_Red-Tail_Juvenile_X2805


Rufous Morph Red-Tail Juvenile X2805

Harlans_Red-Tail_LightMorph_Juvenile_0708c


Harlan’s Red-Tail Light Morph Juvenile 0708c

Above are an Intermediate juvenile Rufous morph Red-Tail and a juvenile Light morph Harlan’s Red-Tail,
and below is a Dark juvenile Rufous morph Red-Tailed Hawk. Look carefully at the two images above.

The differences between the two hawks above are subtle but noticeable, and it is possible that the
individual at left above is a hybrid between a Light morph Harlan’s and a Rufous morph Red-Tail.

RufousMorph_Red-Tail_Juvenile_4296


Rufous Morph Red-Tail Juvenile 4296

A Dark juvenile Rufous morph Red-Tailed Hawk carrying a stick through the skies over Newport Back Bay.

Note the detail of the dark patagial markings of the underwing coverts at the leading edge of the wing,
as well as the overall rufous cast to the plumage including the hawk’ undertail coverts, head and body.

Red-Tail_Flight


The Red-Tailed Hawk Flight page contains 55 images and flight study composites of Light, Intermediate
and Dark morph juvenile and adult Red-Tailed Hawks from several locations in the Western United States.

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DarkMorph_Red-Tailed_Hawk_4245c


Dark Morph Red-Tailed Hawk 4245c

A Dark morph Red-Tailed Hawk at Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge.

There are several subspecies of the Red-Tailed Hawk with highly variable appearance, but even
within the primary species there are three major variations in plumage and overlapping variations.
These plumage variations are called the Light, Intermediate and Dark morphs, and there are also
Light and Dark Intermediates. Some Red-Tailed Hawks from Northern states can be quite pale.
There are also Rufous phase Red-Tailed Hawks with reddish-brown feathers in all three morphs.

LightJuvenile_Red-Tail_X3735


Light Juvenile Red-Tail X3735

LightJuvenile_Red-Tail_1896c


Light Juvenile Red-Tail 1896c

Frontal and rear profile portraits of a juvenile Light morph Red-Tailed Hawk at Bosque del Apache.
Juveniles display a strongly mottled appearance, with white patches on the breast, back and wings.

Red-Tailed_Hawk_LightMorph_1332M


Red-Tailed Hawk Light Morph 1332 M

A 1000 x 1590 pixel portrait of an adult Light Morph Red-Tailed Hawk.
The Light morph is the most common variation in the primary species.

Red-Tailed Hawks are the most common hawks in North America,
and are best known for their soaring hunting style and their brick-red tails.
Of the 14 subspecies of the Red-Tail, not all exhibit their namesake tail color.
Besides the subspecies variations, juveniles have a light tail with dark bars, and
as previously mentioned, variations in plumage exist within the primary species.

Red-Tailed_Hawk_X9080M


Red-Tailed Hawk X9080 M

Red-Tailed_Hawk_5004


Red-Tailed Hawk 5004

Rear profile portraits of Red-Tailed Hawks scanning for prey at Bosque del Apache, New Mexico.
Red-Tailed Hawks have superb eyesight, and can discern prey as small as a mouse at 100 feet.

RufousMorph_Red-Tail_Juvenile_4285c


Rufous Morph Red-Tail Juvenile 4285c

A Rufous morph Red-Tailed Hawk at Newport Back Bay in Southern California.

Some scholars group all Intermediate morph Red-Tailed Hawks into the Rufous morph,
but others do not. In my experience, there are dark Rufous morph Red-Tailed Hawks and
light Rufous morph Red-Tailed Hawks, as well as Red-Tails whose plumage falls in between
the Light morph and Dark morph parameters who do not have the reddish cast to the feathers.

RufousMorph_Red-Tail_Juvenile_4310M


Rufous Morph Red-Tail Juvenile 4310 M

A juvenile Rufous morph Red-Tailed Hawk strikes a pose on a cliff face at Newport Back Bay, California.

I would identify this individual as a dark Rufous morph Red-Tailed Hawk. The Flight page
has images of this hawk in flight along with several of a light Rufous morph and a pale
Northern Rufous morph Red-Tail, as well as images of Dark, Intermediate and Light
morph Red-Tailed Hawks in flight who do not have the rufous cast to their feathers.

Red-Tail_Portraits


The Red-Tailed Hawk Portraits page has 54 images of Light, Intermediate and Dark morph
juvenile and adult Red-Tailed Hawks taken in several locations in the Western United States.

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Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Raptors Collection where a Gallery can be selected.

PhotoshelterGallerySection


Direct Links:

Eagles     Red-Tailed Hawks     Assorted Hawks
Owl and Harrier        Falcons & Kites        Osprey

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CoopersHawk_0502M


Cooper’s Hawk 0502 M

A 1000 x 1590 portrait of our local female Cooper’s Hawk.

Cooper’ Hawks are medium-sized birds of prey, about the size of a Raven. They are skillful fliers
who hunt through the trees at high speed in their search for medium-sized birds, their favorite prey.
They have long tails and short, broad, rounded wings which give them exceptional maneuverability.

CoopersHawk_1668M


Cooper’s Hawk 1668 M

A 1000 x 1590 portrait of a young adult male Cooper’s Hawk, taken
in the woods below the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, California.
As with most Raptors, the female is larger and heavier than the male.

CoopersHawk_0554M


Cooper’s Hawk 0554 M

A rear view of a female Cooper’s Hawk, showing the dark wings and brown, banded upperside of the tail.

LightMorph_FerruginousHawk_5973M


Light Morph Ferruginous Hawk 5973 M

A Light morph Ferruginous Hawk perched in a tree at the edge of the Farm Loop at Bosque del Apache.

The Ferruginous Hawk is the largest of the Buteo hawks (the same genus as the Red-Tailed Hawk), and
along with the Rough-Legged Hawk is one of only two hawks whose legs are feathered down to the talons.
There are both Light and Dark morphs (the dark morph is dark brown, with light areas on the wings and tail).
The Light morph are more common, and are buff to white on the undersides with rust-red streaks, with pale
head and neck and the rufous back and wing feathers for which this hawk is named. Ferruginous means
resembling iron rust in appearance or color, and is derived from ferrous (relating to or containing iron).

LightMorph_FerruginousHawk_6119M


Light Morph Ferruginous Hawk 6119 M

Ferruginous Hawk have the largest wingspan of any North American hawk (48-60”, with an average of 56”).
They use these large wings to hover and soar in circular patterns over open areas, looking for their prey.
They also hunt from the ground, waiting near burrow entrances for ground squirrels and prairie dogs.

LightMorph_FerruginousHawk_XL


Light Morph Ferruginous Hawk XL

A 1500 x 1025 version of the XL Composite image (3205 x 2125).

Assorted_Hawks


The Assorted Hawks page contains 62 images of Cooper’s Hawks, Harris Hawks and
Light morph Ferruginous Hawks from Southern California and Bosque del Apache, NM.

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Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Raptors Collection where a Gallery can be selected.

PhotoshelterGallerySection


Direct Links:

Eagles     Red-Tailed Hawks     Assorted Hawks
Owl and Harrier        Falcons & Kites        Osprey

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Red-Tailed_Hawk_Morphs_M


Red-Tailed Hawk Morphs M
(1800 x 1200, 497 KB)

A larger-than-normal (1800 x 1200) preview of the SXXL (6900 x 4600) composite which
shows images of various Red-Tailed Hawk morphs with legends identifying the variations.

Red-Tailed Hawks have three variations (or morphs), the Light, Intermediate and Dark morphs.
The differences in the morphs are based upon the belly, shoulder and central wing markings and
the body color. Light and Intermediate morphs have buff to orange dark-streaked bodies and
a dark patch at the shoulder. The body streaks on the Light morph can be very light, and the
 shoulder markings can be narrower. The Dark morph has a dark body and central wing.

Raptors


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