From south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] Fri Mar 26 21:39:54 2004 Received: from www.plaidworks.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.9/8.12.9) with ESMTP id i2R5bxAq014847 for <[[email protected]]>; Fri, 26 Mar 2004 21:37:59 -0800 (PST) Received: from sccrmhc11.comcast.net (sccrmhc11.comcast.net [204.127.202.55]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.9/8.12.9) with ESMTP id i2R5arpJ014796 for <[[email protected]]>; Fri, 26 Mar 2004 21:36:53 -0800 (PST) Received: from computer.comcast.net (c-24-6-146-35.client.comcast.net[24.6.146.35](misconfigured sender)) by comcast.net (sccrmhc11) with SMTP id <20040327053652011001kkege>; Sat, 27 Mar 2004 05:36:52 +0000 Message-Id: <[[email protected]]> X-Sender: [[email protected]] (Unverified) X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Version 5.2.1 Date: Fri, 26 Mar 2004 21:36:43 -0800 To: "Michael Pollack" <[[email protected]]>, <[[email protected]]> From: Alvaro Jaramillo <[[email protected]]> Subject: Re: [SBB] Hawk ID help In-Reply-To: <[[email protected]]> References: <[[email protected]]> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed Cc: X-BeenThere: [[email protected]] X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5b1 Precedence: list List-Id: South Bay Birding List-Unsubscribe: , List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Sender: south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] Errors-To: south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] At 05:21 PM 3/26/2004 -0800, Michael Pollack wrote: >Hi all, > >I could use some help identifying an immature hawk that frequented my yard >in Cupertino last year. I took some pictures which can be viewed at >http://home.comcast.net/~m_pollack/HawkID/index.htm . You can click on each >thumbnail to see a larger image. Michael It looks like more than one bird is involved here to me, just comparing the underpart patterns. I would go with juvenile Cooper's Hawks on these birds. One thing to look for is a feature that is usually not one you see, and this is the thickness of the legs and size of the talons. Sharp-shinned Hawks have that name because they have thin legs and small talons for their size, while those of Cooper's Hawks are much more sturdy and thick. Sharp-shinned tarsi often look fragile, those of Cooper's do not. All of your photos that show legs, show sturdy and strong legs typical of Cooper's Hawks. Second, the tail has a broad white tip, another Cooper's feature. On Sharp-shins the rectrices (particularly from above) have just a pale whitish fringe, not an actual terminal band as your photos show. The shape of the tail is difficult to discern correctly in the photos, partly due to foreshortening, and partially due to the way the bird on the roof has it flat against the roof. I would not trust the tail shapes from these photos. Cooper's Hawk juveniles typically have a tawny coloured head, warmer in colour than the back, as your birds show. Sharp-shinned tends to be more unicolored. Finally, the streaking pattern is crisper on Cooper's; one of your birds shows a good Cooper's pattern, the other has a muddier look that could overlap with the more diffuse streaking pattern of juvenile Sharp-shinned. My vote is for Cooper's. take care Al Alvaro Jaramillo Biologist San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory P.O. Box 247 Alviso, CA 95002 (408)-946-6548 http://www.sfbbo.org/ [[email protected]] _______________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored. south-bay-birds mailing list ([[email protected]]) Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription: http://www.plaidworks.com/mailman/options/south-bay-birds/south-bay-birds-archive%40plaidworks.com This email sent to [[email protected]]