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Red Shouldered Hawk
Here is a red shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus) that flew over a while back.
"Red-shouldered Hawks eat mostly small mammals, lizards, snakes, and amphibians. They hunt from perches below the forest canopy or at the edge of a pond, sitting silently until they sight their prey below. Then they descend swiftly, gliding and snatching a vole or chipmunk off the forest floor. They also eat toads, snakes, and crayfish. They occasionally eat birds, sometimes from bird feeders; recorded prey include sparrows, starlings, and doves." - allaboutbirds.org
@Swede1952
Any idea how to spot the difference between a Red Shouldered and a Red Tailed Hawk?
@Swede1952
Thanks! I thought that might be the case, but the tail in your photo looks fairly red too.
The underside of a red tailed isn’t light colored like this one, but then red shouldered I think are usually darker as well. A red tailed hawks tail is about the shade of the flight feathers on this hawk.
@Swede1952
Ok, this is helpful in understanding what to look for. Those are significant differences.
Not certain we have Red Shouldered around here in south-central NY State, but we have many Red Tailed. They look fairly large when flying, but when standing on the ground (or taking off and landing) you suddenly realize how huge they are, if adult. They are giants.
I have an app called Merlin that helps me ID birds.
@Swede1952
Thanks for the reminder.
I have heard many good reports about Merlin. Must download and try soon.