It was hovering like a hummingbird probing a flower or sipping at a hummingbird feeder. Red-tailed hawks will hover occasionally but never very long. This bird stayed in the same place in the sky like a kite on a string. The driver slowed the car, then stopped at the side of the road and each of us focused our binoculars on the bird as it continued to hover, to beat its wings but remain in the same place in the sky.
A red-tailed hawk looks light-colored underneath. Not white but brownish, lightly speckled, darker on the upper breast. Its wing feathers are tipped with black, and its tail is reddish or rusty-brown with a narrow white band at the end.
This hawk was a combination of black, brown and white. It was black or dark brown on the breast and belly. It had a broad black band toward the end of the tail. When its wings were at the bottom of the down stroke and we could see it back, it had a large white patch just above the tail, a white rump like a northern harrier. We recognized it easily, a rough-legged hawk, a winter visitor to Indiana and to the rest of the northern half of the U.
Except Alaska; rough-legged hawks nest across the northern half of Canada and in Alaska. I see one, sometimes more, most winters but not all. And there have been a few years when I saw many. Those years have also been ones when I looked for and sometimes saw other feathered northern predators. Snowy owls, for example, and goshawks.
Rough-legged hawks are noted for hovering. These are birds of open country, often treeless country. A Harris's hawk named Remmy flies through a parking garage at Broadway Plaza as it looks for pigeons to scare away in Walnut Creek, Calif. A Harris's hawk named Remmy stands on a parking lot solar panel as it looks for pigeons to scare away at Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek, Calif.
A persistant crow dive-bombs a hawk in Lighthouse Field as it tries to chase the predator from its roost Wednesday. Dan Coyro -- Santa Cruz Sentinel. WildCare photo. Get up close and personal with falcons and hawks during the new Falconry Vineyard Experience at Bouchaine Vineyards in Napa. Courtesy Carolyn Younger. A red-tailed hawk and her mate return each year to a blue gum eucalyptus in San Francisco's Presidio. The birds are back this year and are featured on a hour 'Hawk Cam.
Motorists are being warned to drive with caution as snow and icy conditions continue in the South of Scotland. This Cooper's hawk spent some time recently watching a soccer practice. The players were curious about his seeming fearlessness. Courtesy of Francesca Periera. Even if it doesn't turn out to be one, these same clues could still help you identify your mystery raptor. Freebie Alert! Don't stop here. Membership benefits include one year of Audubon magazine and the latest on birds and their habitats.
Your support helps secure a future for birds at risk. Our email newsletter shares the latest programs and initiatives. From the Magazine Magazine. By Sharon Stiteler Fall Get Audubon in Your Inbox Let us send you the latest in bird and conservation news. Email address. Find Audubon Near You Visit your local Audubon center, join a chapter, or help save birds with your state program.
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