Week Three - Raptors Flashcards
Osprey - Pandionidae
Has a dark back, dark wrist, and dark secondaries, and a white crown.
Long and crooked wings, held arched.
White underparts are noticeable “gull-like”.
Turkey Vulture - Cathartidae
Huge size!
Naked head, and huuge wings.
Clumsy, slow wingbeats. Flight is very unsteady, as if it were rocking.
Bald Eagle
Large, with plank-like wings and a large head and bill.
White head and tail.
Has very weak, flat, chriping whistles. Not exactly majestic.
Northern Harrier
Long tail, long wings, and a characteristic white butt patch.
Male gives a dry clucking or barking series.
Females are pale below with brown streaking, and males are grey above with a dark trailing edge on the wingtips.
Decidedly owly-looking.
Sharp-Shinned Hawk
Our smallest accipiter.
Small, round-headed, short-tailed.
Narrow white tailtip and a short, square tail.
Does NOT have lighter nape feathers like the Cooper’s does.
High sharp notes. Mostly quiet, tho.
Cooper’s Hawk
More slender and long tailed.
Larger, blockier head than a sharpie.
Red-Shouldered Hawk
Rather compact for a buteo, almost accipeter-like.
Distinctive pale transluscent crescent across outer primaries when in flight.
Very vocal “keeyurr, keeyurr” and commonly imited by Blue Jays!
Broad-Winged Hawk
Small, with relatively pointed and straight-edged wings.
Dark upper side, with pale underwing and dark border.
Sounds like a thin, high “teeteeeeeeeeee” on one pitch.
Red-Tailed Hawk
Stocky and broad, with rounded wings and a short tail.
Pale breast, streaked belly band and speckled white V on the back.
Distinctive red tail!
Rasping and scraping screamy call.
Rough-Legged Hawk
Large and rather slender, broad-tipped wings and a long tail.
Boldly patterened w/ dark belly and wrist patch, very pale flight feathers and white base of tail.
American Kestrel - Falconidae
Slender w/ a boldly patterned head.
Female lacks the grey on the wings.
A higher, weaker “killy killy killy”.
Merlin - Falconidae
Small, compact, powerful. Angular shape and broad pointed wings.
Peregrine Falcon - Falconidae
Larger size and bloder face pattern than the Merlin.
A slow, scolding “rekh rekh rekh…”
Eastern Screech-Owl
Greenish bill and faint buffy tones.
Has a descending whinny, and a long, whistled tremolo.
Great Horned Owl
Large and bulky, broad ears create a cat-like head shape.
Tawny-orange face.
Muffled, rhythymic hooting of “hoodoo,hoodoo”…slightly deeper than mourning dove.
Snowy Owl
One of our largest owls and very unique looking.
Barred Owl
Coarsely barred tummy.
Sings “who cooks for you, who cooks for you all!” and a lot of barking, cackling, and gurgling.
Long-Eared Owl
Long ear-tufts, tawny orange face and a dark vetical stripe through the eye.
Dark streaking and barring.
Short-Eared Owl
SHort ear tufts and spotted upperside. Dark eye patch like a beautiful queen.
Streaked below, not quite as darkly as the long-eared.
Northern Saw-Whet Owl
Distinct white backbraces and a pale, buffy facial disk.
Brown streaking bewlow.
A wheezy, cat-like “schweee….”, nasal barks, soft whistles and low whistled toots.
Loggerhead Shrike
Always white at the base of the primaries!
Broad black mask, darker grey and stubbier bill than a Northern.
Northern Shrike
Narrower black mask and a white ring around the eye, compared to Loggerhead.
