TheFoothillsForum

Hi guys,

This bird landed in my backyard a little while ago. He/she killed the other bird, it hit my patio door, then flew away into a pine tree. I watched for 15 minutes till the bird finally came to pick up it's dinner. Is it a hawk?

Yep. That's a hawk.

Thanks! Do you know what kind of hawk?

That is a hungry hawk A red tailed hawk.

Poor Grey Dove!

Nobody wants to see any creation die however remember the dove can fly at 60+ MPH.....sadly this one must have been injured.

Yes, that is a Red Tailed Hawk.....appears young. Beautiful to watch in flight!

I just looked at the 2nd picture, the angle makes it look like the dove is alive, but it wasn't! It was dead on the ground.

Could be a cooper's hawk, they go after birds.
http://www.google.com/search?q=cooper's ... 40&bih=809

Looked it up in my Sibley Guide to Birds. It looks to me like a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk, about one year old. The Cooper's Hawk, in the drawings in this book, looks like the breast is more of a bright white than the one above. But who knows. Just speculating. Beautiful bird and great pictures!

Thanks!

Cooper's Hawk. Definitely.

Plumage can vary.

He's a cutie whatever he is.

Coopers....

Textbook pic: http://www.pbase.com/image/87577575


Pics showing variable plumage: http://www.pbase.com/tgrey/hawks_coopers

Still think that one is too bright white where the lighter color plumage is.

I found this info and picture:

"© Gil Miller

This is probably the most common hawk in North America. If you’ve got sharp eyes you’ll see several individuals on almost any long car ride, anywhere. Red-tailed Hawks soar above open fields, slowly turning circles on their broad, rounded wings. Other times you’ll see them atop telephone poles, eyes fixed on the ground to catch the movements of a vole or a rabbit, or simply waiting out cold weather before climbing a thermal updraft into the sky.
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* Identification
* Life History
* Sound
* Video
* Visit Birds of North America for more on this species

Keys to identification Help
Hawks
Hawks
Typical Voice

*
Size & Shape

Red-tailed Hawks are large hawks with typical Buteo proportions: very broad, rounded wings and a short, wide tail. Large females seen from a distance might fool you into thinking you’re seeing an eagle. (Until an actual eagle comes along.)
*
Color Pattern

Most Red-tailed Hawks are rich brown above and pale below, with a streaked belly and, on the wing underside, a dark bar between shoulder and wrist. The tail is usually pale below and cinnamon-red above, though in young birds it’s brown and banded. “Dark-phase” birds are all chocolate-brown with a warm red tail. “Rufous-phase” birds are reddish-brown on the chest with a dark belly.
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Behavior

You’ll most likely see Red-tailed Hawks soaring in wide circles high over a field. When flapping, their wingbeats are heavy. In high winds they may face into the wind and hover without flapping, eyes fixed on the ground. They attack in a slow, controlled dive with legs outstretched – much different from a falcon’s stoop.
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Habitat

The Red-tailed Hawk is a bird of open country. Look for it along fields and perched on telephones poles, fenceposts, or trees standing alone or along edges of fields.

Range Map Help
Red-tailed Hawk Range Map
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Picture wars!! LOL. Whatever it is that is a great photo and you should send it to National Geographic or something Emil!