Raptors

Our smallest and most abundant Accipiter, “sharpies” are about the size of a pigeon, and often soar with their wrists held forward making the small head look even smaller, or even lost at a distance. A series of wrist flaps, followed by a glide is typical. A more squared-off tail and S-shaped trailing edge to the wing help make ID more certain.  

By: Keith Dieroff

These birds occupy the middle ground in size. About the size of a crow, Cooper’s tend to fly with their wings held nearly straight out, giving their large head a protruding, bullet-shaped look. Compared to its smaller cousin, a longer, more rounded tail and straighter trailing edge to the wing help set it apart. Because of their greater weight, Coopers’ flight is more direct, with more measured wingbeats than their smaller cousin.

 By: Keith Dieroff

Large and powerful, goshawks can look reminiscent of  buteo and are nearly the same size as a red-tailed hawk. Adults are easily distinguished from the birds above by being barred with grey below rather than orange. Barrel-chest and white supercilium are helpful features for ID. A key identification characteristic is the stout tail appearing as a continuation of the body.

By: Tom Thomas

Probably the most familiar hawk in North America, “red-tails” are a familiar sight along highways and in the countryside. Large, robust birds, with bulging wings, the most reliable mark for these birds is a dark patagial bar (on the leading edge of the arm). A clean white breast, dark belly band, and red tail (on adults only), help support identification.

By: Rjmscorley

A smaller bird than the “red-tail”, “red-shoulders” are striking, clean-cut birds with alternating bands of black and white on the tail. Spotting on the breast helps mark these bird, but they are most often recognized by translucent crescents near the end of their wings, a feature visible even in high-flying birds.

By: Peter Benoit

A classic bird for any hawkwatch, “broad-wings” are a smaller buteo, best identified as adults by a single white band visible in the tail. Crisp white underwings with a dark trailing edge. 

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“Rough-legs” breed in the arctic and winter in temperate areas. Large birds, they look like a stretched-out buteo with longer wings than their relatives. Dark morph birds are the most regular dark Buteo in our area. Light adults and juveniles have conspicuous patterns including dark square-shaped patches at the carpals (wrists), a dark belly, and a dark band at the end of the tail, all on a light background.

By: Skeeze

Virtually everyone in North America is familiar with the bald eagle’s iconic adult plumage. That said, even juveniles are extremely distinctive once you’re familiar with their straight-out, plank-like flight silhouette. Juvenile bald eagles are extremely varied, ranging from dark to light, but typically looking dark overall with white wing linings. 

By: Tof Mayanoff

Like the bald eagle, goldens are very large, mostly dark birds. Adult golden eagles appear almost entirely dark brown with a slight golden nape visible depending on distance and angle. Juveniles are more distinctively marked, with white patches at then ends of their wings and a white band across the bast of their tail.

By: Kevsphotos

A familiar bird to many, American kestrels are small birds, very small. While flying, kestrels look less sturdy than their relatives, with fluttering wingbeats, more rounded (but still falcon-like) features, and a wandering flight. While often boldly coloured with blue and orange, these birds tend to look pale in flight.

By: Reitz27

Similar to size the the kestrel (somewhere around the size of a pigeon), merlins give the impression of a much more robust bird. Sharply featured, these birds contrast from their relatives through a faster, more direct flight, darker overall colour, and heavier build. Getting familiar with these birds might take some time; they’re often gone as soon as they arrive.

By: Adriankirby

The largest of the falcons regularly seen at Beamer, peregrines have much longer wings than their relatives. Most observers recognize these birds from their facial markings that almost look like an executioner’s mask. Beyond this, their unique shallow and rapid wingbeats allow familiar observers to spot these birds at a distance.

By: Ruthmcd

Lanky looking compared to the other raptors of our region, harriers stand out with a unique combination of very long wings and long tail. Regardless of age and plumage, all birds also have a conspicuous white patch on the rump.  When flying, wings tend to be held in a dihedral and flight graceful

By: Skeeze

Strikingly marked in a distinctive combination of dark brown and white. Nearly all dark above, the belly is light, with a characteristic combination of light and dark coloration. Osprey have very long wings that are held forward at the arm and back at the hand, which–combined with their pattern–gives the impression of an M-shaped silhouette, a shape that is echoed in a head-on view.

By: Skeeze

The most numerous bird at the watch, turkey vultures can be picked out readily, and with confidence from far away. These large dark birds fly with a strong dihedral (wings held up at an angle) and a characteristic rocking flight. When seen from below, their flight feathers shine, giving the bird a two-toned look along the length of its wings.

By: Greg Seymour

Black vultures appear darker than turkey vultures, but are most readily identified by white patches on their wingtips and an almost comically short tail. Though once rare in our area, these birds appear to be growing more common year after year.

By: Dan Cross

The Swainson’s hawk is a long-winged buteo that flies with wings held in a dihedral. Adults have light underwing coverts and dark flight feathers, whereas juveniles are less strongly marked.

By: Skeeze

This is our largest buteo with long, fairly pointed wings. Both light and dark morphs occur, but the tail and particularly flight feathers are white in both.

By: Reitz27

Prairie falcons are similarly sized to peregrine falcons, but more lightly coloured. Dark underwing coverts and axillaries are diagnostic marks.

By: 

This is a huge falcon that may be white, grey, or brown. These birds are unlikely to be mistaken for another.

By: Skeeze

A medium-sized kite, these birds are grey overall with a lighter head. This, combined with their long, tapered wings and graceful flight help distinguish them in the field.

By: 

This dramatic bird is unlikely to be confused by anything else due to its long, forked tail, white underwing coverts and black flight feathers.