Robert Stalnaker
Field marks of Red-tailed Hawk subadult
Here are key field marks of the eastern subadult Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis borealis).
The key field mark of the Red-tailed Hawk (RTHA) is the patagial mark, contrary to those who say it is the belly band. If you see the patagial mark and you are in the east, you rule out any other raptor--it is a Red-tail. The Ferruginous Hawk in the west can (sometimes) appear to have what looks like a patagial mark but it has other dark markings around it whereas the Red-tailed Hawk has pale areas near it. Besides the Broad-winged Hawk, the Swainson's Hawk is just one of a few buteos that can have what appears as a belly band, so again, the patagial mark is the key--only the Red-tailed Hawk has it. You don't see it, it's not a Red-tail. You do see it, it can only be a Red-tail. Note... the male Krider's Red-tailed Hawk can have very faint patagial marks or lack them altogether.
The white patches near the tips of the wings at p5/p6--p2 can fool newer birders for a Red-shouldered Hawk that has a banana shaped, or crescent shaped, mark on the outer wings, thinner than the wide imperfect square patch of the subadult RTHA. Over reliance on the "crescents" as the main ID for a Red-shouldered Hawk causes some newer birders to mistakenly ID a RTHA as a Red-shouldered Hawk.
I call the juvenile and subadult RTHA a "Gray Tail"--you don't see red. The tail is the same color as the general tone of the underbody. The tail becomes more red as an adult. Some newer birders look for that red tail, even though the juvenile's tail is not red.
The tail bands, 8-12, are gone in the adult, replaced by a bandless red tail, except for a subterminal band that sometimes is not seen. Some subspecies of adult RTHA can show bands in the tail but typical eastern RTHA, B. j. borealis, does not. B. j. umbrinus in peninsula Florida can show some barring on the tail as an adult.
At some distances, some of the marks can not be seen, but "The Bulge", even in silhouette, is often clear and becomes more prominent when the hands are pushed forward, such as in a soar--in this image, the hawk is not soaring so the bulge is less prominent but still there. Other buteos have cleaner, smoother lines on their trailing edge.
A Broad-winged Hawk has a similar white chest and can have streaking lines over the belly looking similar to a belly band. The Broad-winged Hawk would never have such a hefty, broad, bulging wing. Its wing is thinner and has a smoothly curved trailing edge tapering to its tips in a "candletip shape".
Many details in this image are not clearly seen in the field, only in photos. Correct ID usually comes from overall structure, wing shape, tip shape, flight style, etc. with raptors since altitude often washes out field marks. For both new and intermediate birders, adding photos to your field observations can often turn a field ID into a different ID once you study your images.
Image taken on Lust Road, Orange County (FL), 16 Aug 2014.
Field marks of Red-tailed Hawk subadult
Here are key field marks of the eastern subadult Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis borealis).
The key field mark of the Red-tailed Hawk (RTHA) is the patagial mark, contrary to those who say it is the belly band. If you see the patagial mark and you are in the east, you rule out any other raptor--it is a Red-tail. The Ferruginous Hawk in the west can (sometimes) appear to have what looks like a patagial mark but it has other dark markings around it whereas the Red-tailed Hawk has pale areas near it. Besides the Broad-winged Hawk, the Swainson's Hawk is just one of a few buteos that can have what appears as a belly band, so again, the patagial mark is the key--only the Red-tailed Hawk has it. You don't see it, it's not a Red-tail. You do see it, it can only be a Red-tail. Note... the male Krider's Red-tailed Hawk can have very faint patagial marks or lack them altogether.
The white patches near the tips of the wings at p5/p6--p2 can fool newer birders for a Red-shouldered Hawk that has a banana shaped, or crescent shaped, mark on the outer wings, thinner than the wide imperfect square patch of the subadult RTHA. Over reliance on the "crescents" as the main ID for a Red-shouldered Hawk causes some newer birders to mistakenly ID a RTHA as a Red-shouldered Hawk.
I call the juvenile and subadult RTHA a "Gray Tail"--you don't see red. The tail is the same color as the general tone of the underbody. The tail becomes more red as an adult. Some newer birders look for that red tail, even though the juvenile's tail is not red.
The tail bands, 8-12, are gone in the adult, replaced by a bandless red tail, except for a subterminal band that sometimes is not seen. Some subspecies of adult RTHA can show bands in the tail but typical eastern RTHA, B. j. borealis, does not. B. j. umbrinus in peninsula Florida can show some barring on the tail as an adult.
At some distances, some of the marks can not be seen, but "The Bulge", even in silhouette, is often clear and becomes more prominent when the hands are pushed forward, such as in a soar--in this image, the hawk is not soaring so the bulge is less prominent but still there. Other buteos have cleaner, smoother lines on their trailing edge.
A Broad-winged Hawk has a similar white chest and can have streaking lines over the belly looking similar to a belly band. The Broad-winged Hawk would never have such a hefty, broad, bulging wing. Its wing is thinner and has a smoothly curved trailing edge tapering to its tips in a "candletip shape".
Many details in this image are not clearly seen in the field, only in photos. Correct ID usually comes from overall structure, wing shape, tip shape, flight style, etc. with raptors since altitude often washes out field marks. For both new and intermediate birders, adding photos to your field observations can often turn a field ID into a different ID once you study your images.
Image taken on Lust Road, Orange County (FL), 16 Aug 2014.