Red-shouldered and Red-tailed

Hawks, while not exactly rare, are not a species that I encounter frequently. This is likely because of the locations and times of day I am out birding, but nonetheless, I don’t see them very often.

As a beginner, I was also surprised to learn how much overlap there is in hawk plumage and how many differences there are based on geographic location. For example, Red-shouldered Hawks have differences in plumage based on their location within the United States. Red-shouldered Hawks in Florida tend to be lighter in color than California and Eastern subspecies that typically have richer orange and red tones. Even between California and Eastern subspecies, there are subtle differences.

Interestingly, resources often reference the size of birds compared to other similar species when trying to make an identification. This has always been odd to me because I don’t find that helpful. How am I supposed to know that the Red-shouldered Hawk is larger than a Broad-winged Hawk when I have never seen a Broad-winged Hawk? They usually aren’t side by side when I’m looking at them. Without a frame of reference, saying that a bird can be distinguished because it is slightly smaller or larger, relative to another species, seems impractical. Guides don’t typically rely on size alone, but I haven’t found it helpful yet.

The Sibley Guide to Birds is an excellent resource for trying to distinguish between birds, especially hawks, in my recent experience. When I first opened the book to learn more about hawks, I was surprised to see how similar some of the species are, especially when they are juveniles. It is easy for a beginner to potentially misidentify a species, and identifying it in flight can be even more difficult.

I feel fairly confident that the bird I am sharing in the photographs is a Red-shouldered Hawk, though Merlin was split between a Red-shouldered Hawk and a Broad-winged Hawk. The Red-shouldered Hawk seems more likely because of the tail length and its perch on the fence: the location and Merlin's confidence in the likelihood of its appearance helped too. In the same week, on a walk with my dogs, three hawks were flying around. I got a video of one and compared its call to Merlin. Merlin indicated it was a Red-tailed Hawk - another lifer, species number 84. Without binoculars, the identification was based on a poor-quality video and the sound of its call in flight.

Hawks, and most species, will likely take some time for me to master. I don’t see them often, and the overlap in plumage makes it difficult. Birding can be humbling, and I have certainly been wrong more than once.