2 key clues red-tailed hawk vs peregrine: cheeks and lower belly Red-tailed hawks have a brown belly band with white below. Peregrines have white cheeks behind the malar stripes. Adult red-tailed hawk versus adult peregrine falcon (photos by Steve Gosser, Lauri Shaffer) Here are several photo comparisons of the two: red-tailed hawk on left, peregrine on right. Their cheeks are white behind dark gray sideburns called malar stripes. Their backs, wings and heads are charcoal gray, their chests are white and their bellies and legs are heavily striped (horizontally) with dark gray. Peregrine falcons are about the size of crows, smaller than red-tailed hawks. Juveniles have brown tails with horizontal stripes. Only adult red-tailed hawks have rusty red tails. They have brown hash marks on their bellies called a “ belly band” with white above and below. Their faces are brown all the way to their shoulders (no malar stripe). Red-tailed hawks are bigger than crows, white on their chests and brown on their heads, faces, wings and backs. Is the bird in the human zone? Is the bird perched close to humans and doesn’t even care about them? If so, it’s probably a red-tailed hawk …but is it June? What does it look like? Where is the bird? In what habitat? Is it in the city on a building? (Could be either a peregrine or a red-tail) In the suburbs? (likely a red-tailed hawk) On a bridge? (either bird) On a light pole over the highway? (likely a red-tail) In a tree? (likely a red-tail) Standing on your picnic table? (likely a red-tail) Standing on the ground? (likely a red-tail) …But in June a juvenile peregrine might be found in some of the “red-tail” places. However identification is more challenging in June and early July when the juvenile peregrines are flying around town. What time of year is it? Peregrines and red-tails live in western Pennsylvania year round so the time of year doesn’t eliminate either bird due to migration. If the bird does not have these features it’s neither a falcon nor a hawk and you can stop right there. Is it a bird of prey? Birds of prey eat meat so they have hooked beaks (see the tip of the beak) and talons (big claws). To make this manageable I’ll address the most common identification question faced by city folks: Is this bird a peregrine falcon or a red-tailed hawk? First, ask yourself several key questions. In western Pennsylvania you can see up to nine hawk and three falcon species depending on time of year and habitat.
Right off the bat I’m going to narrow the scope.
Peregrin falcon flying how to#
Today I’ll tell you how to identify the birds yourself. Telling the difference between a falcon and a hawk is a common identification problem, so common that people often ask me for help. How could she be sure it’s not a peregrine? Katie Cunningham sent me photographs of the bird and asked, “Is this a falcon or a hawk?” She guessed it was a hawk and she was right (it’s an immature red-tailed hawk). Last Thursday at lunchtime a bird of prey caused quite a stir in downtown Pittsburgh when it perched on a light fixture and very publicly ate a pigeon.
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