![]() |
Hawks, Kites, Eagles, and Allies28 Bird Species
|
![]() |
Bald EagleFamiliar to most as the avian symbol of the United States; adults are instantly recognizeable. They are dark brown overall with a gleaming white head and tail. The bill and feet are yellow, as is the eye. When soaring, the wings are held flat. At a distance, when the white head and tail blend in with more... Length: 86 cm Wingspan: 183 cm |
![]() |
Broad-winged HawkThis small buteo of the eastern forests has brown upperparts, a whitish throat, and rusty barring on the breast. The tail is broadly banded with black and white, with the central white band predominating. Juvenile birds have streaked breasts and thinner tail bands, with the black subterminal band pre more... Length: 33 cm Wingspan: 81 cm |
![]() |
Common Black HawkBlackish overall with an orange-yellow cere and long legs. Some birds show white at the lores. The short black tail has a broad white band in the middle and a fine white terminal band. Juvenile: More brownish. The pale breast has dark streaks. The whitish tail has many wavy dark bands and a broader s more... Length: 43 cm Wingspan: 122 cm |
![]() |
Cooper's HawkA crow-sized accipiter with a long tail and rounded wings. Females are noticeably larger than males. The crown is flat, forming a straight line from the bill to the forehead. Adults: Blue-gray above, with rusty barring on the breast and wing linings. The dark crown contrasts with the pale nape, creat more... Length: 36 cm Wingspan: 69 cm |
![]() |
Crane HawkUnmistakable large hawk that is dark grayish overall, with unusually long red legs, a long tail, and a menacing white eye. Adult: Uniform gray on head, back and wings. Short black wingtips extend only about halfway down the tail. Black tail with gray tip and two white bands. Underparts heavily barred more... Length: 48 cm Wingspan: 95 cm |
![]() |
Ferruginous HawkThis is a very large buteo. On light morph individuals, the head appears mostly white with rufous and black streaking. The back and wing coverts are rufous with dark markings, while the flight feathers and primary coverts are dark. Underparts are mostly white with scattered rufous speckles. The tail more... Length: 56 cm Wingspan: 135 cm |
![]() |
Golden EagleThis large soaring raptor is dark brown overall with varying amounts of golden-brown on the crown and nape. Adults have some gray mottling on the tail, sometimes forming indistinct bands. Juvenile birds have white at the base of the tail and on the base of the primaries and secondaries, forming large more... Length: 76 cm Wingspan: 203 cm |
![]() |
Gray HawkThis raptor is smaller and proportionally longer-tailed than most other buteos. In all plumages, the white upper tail coverts form a u-shaped band at the base of the tail. Adult: Pale gray overall with fine white barring on the breast. The tail has bold black and white bands. Undertail coverts are wh more... Length: 36 cm Wingspan: 81 cm |
![]() |
Harris's HawkThis raptor is distinguished by its unique color pattern, broad wings, and long tail. At rest, the bird appears brownish-black overall, with conspicuous chestnut wing patches and leg feathers, and yellow facial skin between the eye and the cere. The tail is black with a white terminal band. In flight more... Length: 43 cm Wingspan: 114 cm |
![]() |
Hook-billed KiteThe paddle-like wing shape of this raptor, with its broad primaries, bulging trailing edge, and narrow base, is unique among North American raptors. Yellow facial skin contrasts with the black bill tip. In flight, primaries are barred and translucent. Male: Dark gray overall with white barring on und more... Length: 41 cm Wingspan: 86 cm |
Mississippi KiteThis southern raptor is occasionally mistaken for a falcon, but the buoyant flight style is very un-falconlike. Adult: Dark gray overall, with blackish primaries and tail. The head is paler gray on females, whitish on males. A small black patch surrounds the red eye. In flight, the silvery white seco more... Length: 33 cm Wingspan: 86 cm |
Northern GoshawkThis species is the largest of the three accipiters in North America. Adult: Slate gray or brownish-gray above, with darker primaries and dark bands on the tail. The breast and belly are marked with very fine gray barring and fine black streaks. The undertail coverts are white with a few streaks. Th more... Length: 48 cm Wingspan: 102 cm |
![]() |
Northern HarrierLong rounded wings, a long banded tail, and a white rump patch in all plumages help to distinguish this species from all other North American raptors. At close range, note the ruff of feathers around the head that forms an owl-like facial disc. Males: Pale gray above, mostly white below. In flight, n more... Length: 41 cm Wingspan: 97 cm |
![]() |
OspreyThis unique raptor, intermediate in size between eagles and buteos, is easily recognized by its bold pattern and unique flight style. The upperparts are blackish-brown with a banded tail. The head is mostly white with a bold dark line extending back from the eye. The underparts are white, with a spar more... Length: 53 cm Wingspan: 137 cm |
![]() |
Red-shouldered HawkThis medium-sized buteo is named for the upperwing coverts which form a rufous patch on the wings. Three distinctive subspecies, with western birds darker above and brighter rufous on head and breast than the widespread eastern form; Florida birds are extremely pale overall. Adult: Upperparts are dar more... Length: 43 cm Wingspan: 81 cm |
![]() |
Red-tailed HawkThis is the default large hawk species over most of North America. Unless you have evidence to the contrary, it is a Red-tail. It is also the most variable, with many different subspecies occurring throughout the range. Eastern birds and lighter western races are dark brown above with coarse white mo more... Length: 48 cm Wingspan: 117 cm |
-
Bald Eagle
46 Photographs -
Broad-winged Hawk
2 Photographs -
Common Black Hawk
5 Photographs -
Cooper's Hawk
18 Photographs -
Crane Hawk
0 Photographs -
Ferruginous Hawk
10 Photographs -
Golden Eagle
4 Photographs -
Gray Hawk
9 Photographs -
Harris's Hawk
8 Photographs -
Hook-billed Kite
9 Photographs -
Mississippi Kite
18 Photographs -
Northern Goshawk
9 Photographs -
Northern Harrier
25 Photographs -
Osprey
24 Photographs -
Red-shouldered Hawk
17 Photographs -
Red-tailed Hawk
32 Photographs
![]() |
Non-vegetated Areas |
![]() |
Ferruginous HawkButeo regalis |
Rimrocks and Mesas, Open Country and Grasslands, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains |
![]() |
Golden EagleAquila chrysaetos |
Alpine Slopes, Rocky Cliffs and Gorges, Rimrocks and Mesas, Open Country and Grasslands, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains, Alpine Tundra and Meadows, Dry Western Woodlands, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia |
![]() |
Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensis |
Rocky Cliffs and Gorges, Rimrocks and Mesas, Urban Landscapes, Suburban/residential Landscapes, Open Country and Grasslands, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains, Chapparal, Oak Savannah and Woodlands, Dry Western Woodlands, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia |
![]() |
Rough-legged HawkButeo lagopus |
Rocky Cliffs and Gorges, Saltmarshes, Open Country and Grasslands, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains, Alpine Tundra and Meadows, Boreal Forest |
![]() |
Salt Water |
![]() |
Bald EagleHaliaeetus leucocephalus |
Estuaries and Bays, Rocky Shores, Tidal Mudflats and Shallows, Fresh Water Marshes, Lakes Resevoirs, Ponds and Rivers, Eastern Deciduous Forest, Western Confierous Forest, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia |
![]() |
Northern HarrierCircus cyaneus |
Coastal Dunes, Saltmarshes, Fresh Water Marshes, Open Country and Grasslands, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia |
![]() |
OspreyPandion haliaetus |
Estuaries and Bays, Saltmarshes, Urban Landscapes, Suburban/residential Landscapes, Fresh Water Marshes, Lakes Resevoirs, Ponds and Rivers |
![]() |
Rough-legged HawkButeo lagopus |
Rocky Cliffs and Gorges, Saltmarshes, Open Country and Grasslands, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains, Alpine Tundra and Meadows, Boreal Forest |
![]() |
Steller's Sea-EagleHaliaeetus pelagicus |
Estuaries and Bays, Coastal Cliffs, Ponds and Rivers, Boreal Forest |
![]() |
White-tailed EagleHaliaeetus albicilla |
Estuaries and Bays, Coastal Cliffs |
![]() |
White-tailed KiteElanus leucurus |
Coastal Dunes, Fresh Water Marshes, Open Country and Grasslands |
![]() |
Human-altered Areas |
![]() |
Cooper's HawkAccipiter cooperii |
Urban Landscapes, Suburban/residential Landscapes, Open Country and Grasslands, Eastern Deciduous Forest, Western Confierous Forest, Dry Western Woodlands |
Mississippi KiteIctinia mississippiensis |
Urban Landscapes, Suburban/residential Landscapes, Open Country and Grasslands, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia |
![]() |
OspreyPandion haliaetus |
Estuaries and Bays, Saltmarshes, Urban Landscapes, Suburban/residential Landscapes, Fresh Water Marshes, Lakes Resevoirs, Ponds and Rivers |
![]() |
Red-shouldered HawkButeo lineatus |
Suburban/residential Landscapes, Southern Wooded Swamps, Eastern Deciduous Forest, Southeastern Pine-oak Forest, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia |
![]() |
Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensis |
Rocky Cliffs and Gorges, Rimrocks and Mesas, Urban Landscapes, Suburban/residential Landscapes, Open Country and Grasslands, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains, Chapparal, Oak Savannah and Woodlands, Dry Western Woodlands, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia |
![]() |
Roadside HawkRupornis magnirostris |
Urban Landscapes, Suburban/residential Landscapes, Open Country and Grasslands, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains |
![]() |
Sharp-shinned HawkAccipiter striatus |
Suburban/residential Landscapes, Boreal Forest, Northern Wooded Swamps, Western Confierous Forest, Dry Western Woodlands |
![]() |
Swainson's HawkButeo swainsoni |
Suburban/residential Landscapes, Open Country and Grasslands, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia |
![]() |
Fresh Water |
![]() |
Bald EagleHaliaeetus leucocephalus |
Estuaries and Bays, Rocky Shores, Tidal Mudflats and Shallows, Fresh Water Marshes, Lakes Resevoirs, Ponds and Rivers, Eastern Deciduous Forest, Western Confierous Forest, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia |
![]() |
Common Black HawkButeogallus anthracinus |
Streams and Brooks, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia |
![]() |
Harris's HawkParabuteo unicinctus |
Fresh Water Marshes, Open Country and Grasslands, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia |
![]() |
Northern HarrierCircus cyaneus |
Coastal Dunes, Saltmarshes, Fresh Water Marshes, Open Country and Grasslands, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia |
![]() |
OspreyPandion haliaetus |
Estuaries and Bays, Saltmarshes, Urban Landscapes, Suburban/residential Landscapes, Fresh Water Marshes, Lakes Resevoirs, Ponds and Rivers |
![]() |
Red-shouldered HawkButeo lineatus |
Suburban/residential Landscapes, Southern Wooded Swamps, Eastern Deciduous Forest, Southeastern Pine-oak Forest, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia |
![]() |
Short-tailed HawkButeo brachyurus |
Southern Wooded Swamps, Mangroves, Open Country and Grasslands, Southeastern Pine-oak Forest |
![]() |
Snail KiteRostrhamus sociabilis |
Fresh Water Marshes |
![]() |
Steller's Sea-EagleHaliaeetus pelagicus |
Estuaries and Bays, Coastal Cliffs, Ponds and Rivers, Boreal Forest |
![]() |
White-tailed KiteElanus leucurus |
Coastal Dunes, Fresh Water Marshes, Open Country and Grasslands |
![]() |
Grassland and Scrubland |
![]() |
Cooper's HawkAccipiter cooperii |
Urban Landscapes, Suburban/residential Landscapes, Open Country and Grasslands, Eastern Deciduous Forest, Western Confierous Forest, Dry Western Woodlands |
![]() |
Crane HawkGeranospiza caerulescens |
Open Country and Grasslands, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia |
![]() |
Ferruginous HawkButeo regalis |
Rimrocks and Mesas, Open Country and Grasslands, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains |
![]() |
Golden EagleAquila chrysaetos |
Alpine Slopes, Rocky Cliffs and Gorges, Rimrocks and Mesas, Open Country and Grasslands, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains, Alpine Tundra and Meadows, Dry Western Woodlands, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia |
![]() |
Harris's HawkParabuteo unicinctus |
Fresh Water Marshes, Open Country and Grasslands, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia |
Mississippi KiteIctinia mississippiensis |
Urban Landscapes, Suburban/residential Landscapes, Open Country and Grasslands, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia |
Northern GoshawkAccipiter gentilis |
Deserts and Sagebrush Plains, Boreal Forest, Eastern Deciduous Forest, Western Confierous Forest, Dry Western Woodlands, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia |
![]() |
Northern HarrierCircus cyaneus |
Coastal Dunes, Saltmarshes, Fresh Water Marshes, Open Country and Grasslands, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia |
![]() |
Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensis |
Rocky Cliffs and Gorges, Rimrocks and Mesas, Urban Landscapes, Suburban/residential Landscapes, Open Country and Grasslands, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains, Chapparal, Oak Savannah and Woodlands, Dry Western Woodlands, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia |
![]() |
Roadside HawkRupornis magnirostris |
Urban Landscapes, Suburban/residential Landscapes, Open Country and Grasslands, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains |
![]() |
Rough-legged HawkButeo lagopus |
Rocky Cliffs and Gorges, Saltmarshes, Open Country and Grasslands, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains, Alpine Tundra and Meadows, Boreal Forest |
![]() |
Short-tailed HawkButeo brachyurus |
Southern Wooded Swamps, Mangroves, Open Country and Grasslands, Southeastern Pine-oak Forest |
![]() |
Swainson's HawkButeo swainsoni |
Suburban/residential Landscapes, Open Country and Grasslands, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia |
![]() |
Swallow-tailed KiteElanoides forficatus |
Open Country and Grasslands, Oak Savannah and Woodlands, Southeastern Pine-oak Forest, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia |
![]() |
White-tailed HawkGeranoaetus albicaudatus |
Open Country and Grasslands |
![]() |
White-tailed KiteElanus leucurus |
Coastal Dunes, Fresh Water Marshes, Open Country and Grasslands |
Zone-tailed HawkButeo albonotatus |
Open Country and Grasslands, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains, Western Confierous Forest, Dry Western Woodlands, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia |
![]() |
Forest and Woodlands |
![]() |
Bald EagleHaliaeetus leucocephalus |
Estuaries and Bays, Rocky Shores, Tidal Mudflats and Shallows, Fresh Water Marshes, Lakes Resevoirs, Ponds and Rivers, Eastern Deciduous Forest, Western Confierous Forest, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia |
![]() |
Broad-winged HawkButeo platypterus |
Eastern Deciduous Forest |
![]() |
Common Black HawkButeogallus anthracinus |
Streams and Brooks, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia |
![]() |
Cooper's HawkAccipiter cooperii |
Urban Landscapes, Suburban/residential Landscapes, Open Country and Grasslands, Eastern Deciduous Forest, Western Confierous Forest, Dry Western Woodlands |
![]() |
Crane HawkGeranospiza caerulescens |
Open Country and Grasslands, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia |
![]() |
Golden EagleAquila chrysaetos |
Alpine Slopes, Rocky Cliffs and Gorges, Rimrocks and Mesas, Open Country and Grasslands, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains, Alpine Tundra and Meadows, Dry Western Woodlands, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia |
![]() |
Gray HawkButeo plagiatus |
Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia |
![]() |
Harris's HawkParabuteo unicinctus |
Fresh Water Marshes, Open Country and Grasslands, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia |
![]() |
Hook-billed KiteChondrohierax uncinatus |
Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia |
Mississippi KiteIctinia mississippiensis |
Urban Landscapes, Suburban/residential Landscapes, Open Country and Grasslands, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia |
Northern GoshawkAccipiter gentilis |
Deserts and Sagebrush Plains, Boreal Forest, Eastern Deciduous Forest, Western Confierous Forest, Dry Western Woodlands, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia |
![]() |
Northern HarrierCircus cyaneus |
Coastal Dunes, Saltmarshes, Fresh Water Marshes, Open Country and Grasslands, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia |
![]() |
Red-shouldered HawkButeo lineatus |
Suburban/residential Landscapes, Southern Wooded Swamps, Eastern Deciduous Forest, Southeastern Pine-oak Forest, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia |
![]() |
Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensis |
Rocky Cliffs and Gorges, Rimrocks and Mesas, Urban Landscapes, Suburban/residential Landscapes, Open Country and Grasslands, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains, Chapparal, Oak Savannah and Woodlands, Dry Western Woodlands, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia |
![]() |
Rough-legged HawkButeo lagopus |
Rocky Cliffs and Gorges, Saltmarshes, Open Country and Grasslands, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains, Alpine Tundra and Meadows, Boreal Forest |
![]() |
Sharp-shinned HawkAccipiter striatus |
Suburban/residential Landscapes, Boreal Forest, Northern Wooded Swamps, Western Confierous Forest, Dry Western Woodlands |
![]() |
Short-tailed HawkButeo brachyurus |
Southern Wooded Swamps, Mangroves, Open Country and Grasslands, Southeastern Pine-oak Forest |
![]() |
Steller's Sea-EagleHaliaeetus pelagicus |
Estuaries and Bays, Coastal Cliffs, Ponds and Rivers, Boreal Forest |
![]() |
Swainson's HawkButeo swainsoni |
Suburban/residential Landscapes, Open Country and Grasslands, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia |
![]() |
Swallow-tailed KiteElanoides forficatus |
Open Country and Grasslands, Oak Savannah and Woodlands, Southeastern Pine-oak Forest, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia |
Zone-tailed HawkButeo albonotatus |
Open Country and Grasslands, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains, Western Confierous Forest, Dry Western Woodlands, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia |