Buteos

Question 1

How many species are there in the Buteo subgroup of North America?

Can you try and name them all?

Answer 1

12

1. Red-tailed Hawk
2. Red-shouldered Hawk
3. White-tailed Hawk
4. Short-tailed Hawk
5. Swainson’s Hawk
6. Ferruginous Hawk
7. Zone-tailed Hawk
8. Harris’s Hawk
9. Gray Hawk
10. Common Black Hawk
11. Broad-winged Hawk
12. Rough-legged Hawk

Question 2

Describe the shape characteristics of the Buteo subgroup.

Answer 2

Buteos are big, broad, and burly raptors with a relatively large head, moderate fingers in the wings, and short, rounded or squared tails.

Question 3

What is the typical size of a Buteo?

Answer 3

Buteos are large raptors that are larger than a crow but smaller than an eagle.

The only exceptions to this are Broad-winged Hawk and (perhaps) Short-tailed Hawk, which are smaller than an American Crow.

Question 4

When considering wing shape, into what two camps can the Buteos be roughly divided?

Answer 4

Those with slightly pointed wings and those with more rounded wings.

Question 5

Which FOUR buteos have more rounded wing shapes?

This is because the outermost 3-4 primaries are about the same length, making the wing look more blocky and rounded.

Answer 5

1. Red-tailed Hawk
2. Red-shouldered Hawk
3. Rough-legged Hawk
4. Harris’s Hawk

Question 6

Which FOUR Buteos have more pointed wing shapes?

When only a few primaries stick out, making the wing appear more pointed than rounded.

Answer 6

1. Broad-winged Hawk
2. White-tailed Hawk
3. Ferruginous Hawk
4. Swainson’s Hawk

Question 7

What secondary wing shape characteristic can provide clues to a raptor’s identification?

Answer 7

The prominence of the secondary bulge along the trailing edge of the wing.

When the innermost secondary flight feathers are longer than the outermost secondaries, it causes the appearance of a bulge in the trailing edge of the wing.

Some raptors, like Harris’s Hawk and White-tailed Hawk have very prominent secondary bulges, while the Swainson’s Hawk, for example, has a more even and straight silhouette along the trailing edge of the flight feathers.

Question 8

What TWO color patterns and markings should you be on the lookout for when identifying buteos?

Answer 8

1. White in the wings: E.g. the Ferruginous Hawk has darker wing linings and white flight feathers, while the Swainson’s Hawk has white wing linings and dark flight feathers.
2. Bands in the tail: E.g. the White-tailed Hawk has a single dark band at the tip of the tail, while the Short-tailed Hawk has a more heavily banded tail throughout.

Question 9

What bird is this?

Photo by Becky Matsubara

Answer 9

Red-tailed Hawk

Question 10

What bird is this?

Photo by

Answer 10

Rough-legged Hawk

Question 11

What bird is this?

Photo by Steve Colwell

Answer 11

Swainson’s Hawk

Question 12

What bird is this?

Photo by Brian Avent

Answer 12

Red-tailed Hawk

Question 13

What bird is this?

Photo by

Answer 13

Rough-legged Hawk

Question 14

What bird is this?

Photo by

Answer 14

Swainson’s Hawk

Question 15

What bird is this?

Photo by Brian Avent

Answer 15

Red-tailed Hawk

Juvenile

Question 16

What bird is this?

Photo by Rhododendrites

Answer 16

Red-tailed Hawk

Question 17

What bird is this?

Photo by

Answer 17

Rough-legged Hawk

Question 18

What bird is this?

Photo by

Answer 18

Swainson’s Hawk

Question 19

What is the most widespread and commonly seen raptor in North America?

Answer 19

Red-tailed Hawk

Because it is so widespread and common, much of your ID work will be telling the other raptor species apart from Red-tailed Hawk, and so it will serve you well to learn its various distinguishing traits.

This is made tricky by the fact that Red-tailed Hawk have highly variable plumage, appearing a spectrum of shades between its light and dark morphs.

Question 20

What is the preferred habitat of Red-tailed Hawk?

Answer 20

Predominantly in open habitats with scattered perches.

Such as grasslands, agricultural fields, parklands, urban areas, roadsides, semi-arid scrublands, and dessert.

Question 21

What is the key characteristics of Red-tailed Hawk?

Answer 21

Its broad, rusty-red tail.

The Red-tailed Hawk is the only raptor in North America with a red tail, making it an obvious ID if you happen to see it! But the red color is brightest on top of the tail, and since these raptors like to soar at great heights, you might not always get a good look at it. This is where the other diagnostic markers come in!

Question 22

Why can identifying Red-tailed Hawk be tricky?

Answer 22

Their plumage coloration and patterning is extremely variable, ranging from dark to light and intermediate forms.

In the western parts of North America, the dark and intermediate forms are more common, while the pale forms are found throughout its range. This variabilty extends to individuals which have varying patches of white on the body.

Question 23

What color patterns and markings do Red-tailed Hawk exhibit in flight?

Answer 23

The pale form has pale flight feathers and wing linings. The dark form has pale flight feathers and darker wing linings.

Both forms have a:
* dark patagial bar on the leading edge of the wing,
* a thin dark outline all around the feather edges of the wing, and
* red tail feathers.
* Sometimes, a dark belly band is visible.

Question 24

What color characteristic on a perched Red-tailed Hawk is important to look for?

Answer 24

A V-shaped mark of white mottling colloquially referred to as “backpack straps” or “suspender stripes”.

Question 25

Do Red-tailed Hawk have feathered legs?

Answer 25

No, they have bare, yellow legs from the ankles down.

This can help you tell them apart from dark morph Rough-legged Hawk and Ferruginous Hawk, who have feathers all the way down their legs to their feet.

Question 26

What’s the biggest difference between juvenile and adult Red-tailed Hawk?

Answer 26

Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk don’t have a red tail.

Their tail is brown with thin, dark barring, although they still have the white, mottled V on the back, patagial bars, and other important features.

Question 27

What is the preferred habitat of the Rough-legged Hawk?

Answer 27

Open habitats, like grasslands, marshes, and farmlands

Here, they hunt from perches—often small, thin ones like bushes—and frequently hover.

Question 28

What fairly unique foraging technique do Rough-legged Hawk employ?

Answer 28

They hover like kestrels, before diving down onto their prey.

This is an energy-intensive foraging method, which is why few raptors use it.

Question 29

What SEVEN physical traits should you look for in Rough-legged Hawk?

Answer 29

1. Pale flight feathers.
2. Dark trailing edge to the wings.
3. Black “carpal” patches at the wrists.
4. Pale, streaked chest and face.
5. Broad, dark belly patch.
6. White patch at the base of the tail.
7. Dark band at the end of the tail.

Like Red-tailed Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk come in both light and dark morphs, with a lot of variability in plumage markings. The above-mentioned traits, however, are commonly identified across all morphs.

Question 30

Why are they called Rough-legged Hawk?

Answer 30

Their legs are feathered right down to the toes.

If you look closely at the legs of a Red-tailed Hawk, on the other hand, you’ll notice that their feathers only extend down to their shins!

Question 31

What sole physical trait could help you distinguish a dark morph Rough-legged Hawk from any other dark morph raptor?

Answer 31

They have a small square patch of white right above the bill.

Also look for the white at the base of the tail and the legs that are feathered all the way down to the toes.

Question 32

Where are you most likely to find Swainson’s Hawk in North America?

Answer 32

In the open grasslands of the western United States and southern central Canada.

Question 33

Describe the foraging techniques of Swainson’s Hawk

Answer 33

They hunt from the air and from tall perches, like utility poles.

Swainson’s Hawk are common roadside-perching hawks in Western North America!

Question 34

True or false

Swainson’s Hawks migrate together in huge numbers, with flocks sometimes numbering into the thousands.

Answer 34

True!

Swainson’s Hawk spend winters in the South American grasslands. During migration they can be seen circling overhead in enormous flocks mixed with other raptors, like Broad-winged Hawk. These formations are referred to as “kettles”.

Question 35

In what THREE ways does the wing silhouette of the Swainson’s Hawk differ from the Red-tailed Hawk?

Answer 35

Swainson’s Hawk:
1. Have more pointed wings with one flight feather longest.
2. Lack the secondary bulge, making their wings appear slimmer.
3. Hold their wings in a very slight dihedral V-shape.

Question 36

In what three morphs do Swainson’s Hawk come?

Answer 36

1. Light
2. Dark
3. Intermediate

With plenty of variability inbetween!

Question 37

What SIX physical traits should you look for in Swainson’s
Hawk?

Answer 37

1. White wing linings (key feature, except for the darkest of the dark morphs).
2. Flight feathers are evenly dark (no dark carpal patch).
3. Light tail with multiple thin dark bands, one bolder near the tail tip.
4. Light morphs have a distinctive dark hood and white throat.
5. Prominent (unfeathered) yellow legs.
6. White belly with variable markings.

Question 38

What unique facial feature do most juvenile Swainson’s Hawk have?

Answer 38

A dark malar steak that extends to the chest.

“Malar” means cheek so a malar streak on a bird is the stripe that runs from the beak down across the cheek or jaw.

Question 39

Where in North America are Red-shouldered Hawk most commonly found?

Answer 39

In the eastern parts of the United States and in a narrow swath along the West Coast.

Red-shouldered Hawk are common forest-dwelling hawk with a preference for open forests, riparian woodlands, flooded swamps, and, increasingly, suburban areas.

Question 40

What is notable about the Red-Shouldered Hawk’s call that might help with its ID?

Answer 40

They are among the most vocal raptors in North America, issuing a loud, presistent “kee-aar” call.

Question 41

What SEVEN physical traits should you look for in Red-shouldered Hawk?

Answer 41

1. Rusty red plumage on body and wing linings.
2. Fine red barring on breast and belly.
3. Barred black-and-white tail and wing linings.
4. Translucent windows where the barring in its wings line up, allowing more light to shine through.
5. A red shoulder!

Red-shouldered Hawk become increasingly paler the futher east you travel, transitioning from richer orange in the west to washed-out pale in the extreme southeastern limit of its range.