Bird ID? Large...

[steg]

Caught this bird eating a squirrel this morning. He/She sat there for some time munching and tearing away. Finally it flew off, but I did get a couple pictures. I just wish it hadn't sat in the shadow of the tree. Oh well....

Any thought on what it might be?

The legs were huge and very white with lots of fur. Very pointed downward hook on the beak.

Thanks!

[party_music50]

Steg, you got some awesome shots!!! I'm looking through my bird book but don't see a good match yet for ID purposes...

Could it be a juvenile Northern Goshawk? They have "a conspicuous eyebrow", and that's the only one I see in the book with a white eyebrow like that.

[viktoria]

Red-tailed hawk. Lots of them around here.

Viktoria

[nanny_56]

Just throwing in another possibility. Although rare in the eastern US...Ferruginous Hawk. They are large and have heavily featherd legs. I hope you get a confirmed ID! If you don't I know a great guy who could help.

[steg]

So it could be a juvenile Northern Goshawk(?), a Red-tailed hawk (more positive?), or (rare in the eastern US)...Ferruginous Hawk?

Really have no idea...also got some thought on it being a Coopers Hawk or a young Osprey.

who knows....

[Ginger]

Look at the tail, it is a red tailed hawk! Great picture Steg!!

[JaneG]

Wow, that is really cool!! Great pictures . . . the fluffy legs crack me up!

In researching the hawk that we found I looked at lots of information on Coopers Hawk. I'd rule that out for yours. The breast, tail and head don't match. I would agree with red-tail hawk.

What a cool thing to witness.

[Ginger]

Someday you will learn to trust me! LOL

[steg]

I trust you!

I wasn't expecting the Red Tail Hawk to be that large. I really wish it would have come out of the shadows more. I took the picture of the tail to help identify.

We'll be keeping our eyes out for more around here.

[Ginger]

Thanks Steg. Not sure if anyone realized it, but my avatar is a red tailed hawk I have two mating pairs that stay around my house all year long. I love watching them fly and soar on the thermals! They are bigger than you think and I am always amazed by their beautiful yellow eyes and the powerful beak! I have seen one in captivity break a chicken leg in half with a quick snap of his beak, powerful!!

Ginger

[steg]

I did see that on your avatar and wondered. I guess the thing I wasn't sure about was the tail. The stripes through me off. From what I can tell searching the internet, this may be a young Red-Tail and that his/her tail will become more defined with age.

It was fun to watch. I wish I had thought about my movie camera. Oh well....maybe next time.

[newtohosta-no more]

My first thought was the red-tailed hawk. We see lots of them here in NE Ohio. Great pics!