Posted by John Tobias on September 10, 2010 at 10:51 AM
I have seen this hawk 2 or 3 times, but always at a far distance. I can't find an ID for it even in my book on identifying hawks in flight. Sorry about the soft image, but it has always been at a distance when I have spotted this bird. Thank you for your help.
My best guess is a red shoulder hawk.
Posted by Luke Ormand on September 10, 2010 at 11:59 AM
It looks more like a Cooper's to me - but I'll defer to others. Where/when was this taken?
Posted by Brian Gatlin on September 10, 2010 at 7:45 PM
definitely an accipiter, and I'd lean towards Cooper's over Sharp-shinned, but I don't know that I could say for sure. the tail seems pretty long (although not very round), and the streaking, although unclear, seems to fade out lower on the breast.
Posted by John Tobias on September 10, 2010 at 8:20 PM
Taken yesterday, in the morning in central Illinois. It seemed to large to be a Coopers, which are freqently seen in this area, but maybe the distance was deceiving. I could barely find it using a 500mm. I have photographed Coopers in this area at a much closer distance. Thanks for your help.
Discussion
3 repliesMy best guess is a red shoulder hawk.