raptor guide

7/28/2019 Raptor Guide

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CROSSLEY

GUIDERaptors richardcrossley jerryliguori briansullivan

RICHARD CROSSLEYis an internationally ac-

claimed birder and photogra-

pher and the award-winning

author oThe Crossley ID

Guide series (Princeton/

Crossley Books), which has

been recognized or its pi-

oneering approach to bird

identifcation. He is also a

coauthor oThe Shorebird

Guide, the coounder o

the Pledge to Fledge global

birding initiative, and he is

working on multiple birding

projects involving mixed

media and new technologies

such as birdcams.

JERRY LIGUORIis theauthor oHawks from Every

Angle and Hawks at a Dis-

tance (both Princeton). He

has been studying raptors

throughout North America

or more than twenty-fve

years and has conducted

hawk counts at numerous

spring and all migration

sites.

BRIAN SULLIVANisthe coauthor o the orth-

coming Princeton Guide

to North American Birds.

He is eBird project leader

and photographic editor o

the Birds o North America

Online at the Cornell Lab

o Ornithology, as well as

photographic editor or the

American Birding Associa-

tions journal, North Ameri-

can Birds.

PHOTO

BYJESSIEBARRY

PHOTO

BYAARONBARNA

PHOTO

BYMICHAELENGELMEYER

nathist.princeton.educrossleybirds.com

CROSSLEY BOOKS

This sampler presents plates and text rom The Crossley ID Guide: Raptors. Part o the rev-olutionary Crossley ID Guide series, The Crossley ID Guide: Raptors is the frst raptor guidewith lielike scenes composed rom multiple photographs--scenes that allow you to identiyraptors just as the experts do. Experienced birders use themost easily observed and consistentcharacteristics--size, shape, behavior, probability, and general color patterns. The completebook eatures 101 scenes--including thirty-fve double-page layouts--to provide a completepicture o how these eatures are all related. Even the eects o lighting and other real-worldconditions are illustrated and explained. Detailed and succinct accounts rom two o NorthAmericas oremost raptor experts, Jerry Liguori and Brian Sullivan, stress the key identifca-tion eatures. This complete picture allows everyone rom beginner to expert to understandand enjoy what he or she sees in the feld. The mystique o bird identifcation is eliminated,allowing even novice birders to identiy raptors quickly and simply.

For more inormation about The Crossley ID Guide: Raptors, please visit Princeton UniversityPress (http://press.princeton.edu/titles/9966.html). The book is also available through all majorretailers o books and nature products.

An interactive website--www.crossleybirds.com--includes expanded captions or the plates andspecies updates

Princeton University Press has also published the award winning: The Crossley ID Guide:Eastern Birds (http://press.princeton.edu/titles/9384.html).

A S A M P L E R

Richard Crossley


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Hunt eciently rom the air, oen hovering and kiting rommid- to high elevation, as well as rom a perch, typically a road-side power pole or tree, and can stoop at high speeds to surprise,ush, or overtake prey. Large and powerul with even-paced,moderately heavy wingbeats; its wingbeats and ight style dierrom all other buteos. Te broad wings usually held in a shal-low dihedral when soaring, but sometimes at. 1st-years lack theadults red tail, instead having a brownish-banded tail through-out the frst year, becoming adult-like in the second all. 1st-yearsalso pale-eyed; eastern birds tend to be pale-throated with white

to buy underparts and blobby dark bellybands. 1st-yier than adults, with narrower wings and longer tailsadults bold dark trailing edge to the wings in ight and tinct pale wing panels on the outerwings. 2nd-years sidentifable by retained juvenile outer primaries and secFound in a variety o open habitats; generally avoids deo continuous orest. A true generalist, eeding on erom mice to rabbits, as well as birds and snakes. Te tyis the Hollywood raptor scream, very amiliar even toers, but oen passed o as an eagle on the big screen.

Te quintessential roadside raptor, Red-tailed Hawk is amiliarand common throughout much o North America, requentlyseen sitting motionless in roadside trees and on power poles,white breast gleaming in the sun. Heavily built with broad wingsand a relatively short, broad tail; appears particularly large andstocky when perched. Tough highly variable in plumage, acrossthe majority o its range light morphs predominate, so becom-ing amiliar with the feld marks o light Red-taileds will enableyou to id most Red-taileds encountered range-wide. East o theGreat Plains, Red-tailed Hawks show little variation, occurring

mainly as light morphs, with dark and ruous birds occurringvery rarely during migration and winter. Light Red-tailed Hawkscan be identifed by their distinctly dark patagium (leading edgeo the wing), dark bellyband contrasting with unmarked whitebreast, and red tail (adults). Adult Eastern Red-taileds havewhitish-bu underparts with dark-spotted bellybands, andgenerally lack the strong ruous wash underneath o western birds.Eastern adults breeding in the Lower 48 usually lack distinct darktail bands, but some Florida breeders and boreal orest breederscan show this. Eastern Red-taileds occasionally have dark throats.

Red-tailed Hawk (East) Buteo jamaicensis RHA L 1722 in, WS 4356 in, W 1.53.8 lb, page 203

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white-based tail. 4th-year birds and s ome 5th-year birds haveremnants o white in the tail, but it is usually toward the baseo the outer tail eathers only. 1st-years dier rom other agesin their lack o pale motttling along the upperwings, clean,

same-age ight eathers in all showing no signs o a crisp white-based tail with well-defned blackish band. 2nd- to 4th-year birds can be impossible to in the feld, and many should be dubbed as unkno

Golden Eagles are birds o the mountainous West andNortheast, using clis almost exclusively as a substrate ortheir massive stick nests. Adults are nondescript, lackingany striking characters. Tey are dark brown with a goldenhindneck and pale mottling along the upperwings. Adults

lack white in the tail or wings shown by immature birds. Tewings and tail have aint grayish banding that is dicult tosee without exceptional views. Immature (1st- to 4th-year)Golden Eagles have either considerable w hite in the wings ornone at all, but 1st-, 2nd-, and 3rd-year birds always have a

Golden E agleimmatureGolden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos GOEA L 2835 in, WS 7289 in, W 6.614 lb, page 186

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to attain their amiliar adult plumage. Immatures are trickier to iden-tiy. 1st-years are mainly dark with brown heads and tails, dark browneyes, and a blackish bill. Subadults (2nd4th year) become progres-sively more adult-like, with the head, tail, bill, and eye color changingmost notably. Younger immatures have white bellies and upper backs,

and older birds generally get darker in these areas. Some 4looks essentially adult-like, but retain small signs o immaturdark ecks on the head or tail. Bald Eagles build massive sticlarge trees, adding on to the nest each year. Some nests becomand heavy that the braches supporting them collapse rom th

Bald Eagles are oen ound near water, especially lakes, rivers, andbays. Tey eat mainly fsh, and their talons are perect or graspingslippery prey, and their powerul bills are needed to break through afshs tough skin. Bald Eagles are exceptional predators catching theirown fsh throughout the year but they also steal fsh rom Ospreys and

eat carrion. Bald Eagles congregate in large numbers, sometimes hun-dreds, in areas where ood is plentiul.Tey sit peaceully together onice packs one minute, then aggressively tail-chase each other the next,usually in squabbles over ood. When perched, Bald Eagles are massive,bulky overall with large heads and bills. It takes roughly 5 years or birds

Bald Eagle (sitting) Haliaeetus leucocephalus BAEA L 2735 in, WS 7196 i n, W 4.414.5 lb, page 183

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Osprey

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other races. 2nd-year birds may have leover juvenile body andight eathers that are brown and aded and sometimes vis-ible in the feld. Anatum Peregrines inhabit western mountain-ous regions in summer and are ound in mostly coastal areasin winter. Tey are similar in appearance to undra birds, andplumage overlap between the races occurs, but adult anatum istypically more heavily marked underneath and slightly darkeron top. 1st-year anatum is heavily streaked on the underbody,which has an orangey wash, and usually lacks the pale orehead

o undra. Peales Peregrine originates rom the Pacifwest and is the darkest and largest o the races. Both 1st-year birds are heavily marked below and dark on pared with undra and anatum. Te head is nearly soish. Peales is uncommon and usually ound along the Win winter, but it is rare throughout the Interior Wethe breeding season. Reintroduced birds are widesprticularly in the East. Tey show characteristics o sevand make subspecifc identifcation o many birds im

Peregrine Falcons are ound in a variety o habitats. Tey neston steep cli aces in the Arctic, and on bridges and buildingsin the middle o big cities where they are conspicuous and easyto see. In wild, remote places, they eed on all types o birds,rom shorebirds to waterowl, but hunt mainly pigeons in urbanareas. Regardless o their environment, they rely on their amaz-ing hunting abilities and lightning speed to pursue and over-take prey. Te Peregrines legendary missile-like stoop has beenclocked at speeds aster than any other land or sea animal in the

world. Reintroduced birds have a great array o appearances,making subspecifc identifcation o many birds impossible.undra Peregrines are the palest, least marked o the races. Teyaverage slightly smaller and slimmer than other races. Adults areblue-gray on top with a black head and sideburns. Tey are palebelow with barred bellies and checkered underwings. 1st-yearsare brown above (typically with a distinctive pale golden oreheadextending on to the crown) and pale below but heavily streakedon the body. Te mustachial is typically narrower at all ages than

Peregrine FalconPeales and AnatumPeregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus PEFA L 1418 in, WS 3746 in, W 12.1 lb, page 251

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Sharp-shinned Hawk Ageing. At migration sites such as Cape May Point, NJ, thousands o Sharp-shinned Hawks can be seen in asingle day. Tey oen y at low altitude in high winds, but way up high during light wind conditions. Sharpies are small, stocky birdswith long, narrow tails and small heads. Te tail is short or an accipiter and typically square-tipped when closed, but sometimes

rounded. Shape and ight style are oen more easily seen in the feld than plumage, so using these characters to tell it roCoopers Hawk is more reliable. Sharp-shinned Hawks are unsteady and buoyant in ight, and they have rapid, snappy wlack power. Tey rise quickly in a soar and ap more requently than other raptors. Age all the Sharp-shinned Hawks. A

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ing black-and-white banded ight and tail eathers, ruous un-derparts, and ruous upperwing coverts or shoulders! FloridaRed-shouldered Hawks are ound in semiopen swamps or dense,swampy woodland. Tey y in only short spurts, sitting most othe day, and they are tamer than the other races, oen allow-ing close approach. Tey may hunt and display right in ront o

people, while other raptors are much more aware o tsonal space. Adults are similar in plumage to eastern are considerably paler overall, and especially pale grahead. 1st-years are similar in plumage to 1st-year Easteoddly, they are oen more heavily marked underneath ern birds. Birds o southern peninsular Florida avera

Eastern Red-shoulders are ound in swampy woodlands insummer, but they occur in more open habitats during migra-tion and winter, especially along feld edges. Tey take ightless requently than most raptors, remaining perched or longperiods waiting or prey. 1st-years are brown on top and palebelow with dark streaks on the underbody. Te tail is banded

brown and blackish, but airly indistinct, and usually the brownbands are narrower than the blackish ones, showing a hint o theadult tail pattern. All ages and races have unique, pale, comma-shaped, translucent windows on the outer primaries that showup rom below and above. Te primary commas are white onadults and buy on 1st-years. Adults are gorgeous, with strik-

Red-shouldered HawkFloridaRed-shouldered Hawk (East) Buteo lineatus RSHA L 1519 in, WS 3742 in, W 1.11.9 lb, page 220

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Harrier ageing and sexing. Harriers are ound over open country, hunting by quartering low on teetering wings in searcho prey, mainly small mammals. All ages and sexes have a bold white rump, but which o the birds here is a male, emale, orimmature? Male Harriers are always stark whitish below and grayish above, and these are airly straightorward to ID in thefeld. Adult emales can be more dicult and more like juveniles since they are brownish overall. But note the strongly streaked

underparts o adult emales and the tawny upper wing bar. Adult emales also tend to have grayish barred primathe upperwings. Juveniles are similar, though emales are generally brown-eyed and males greenish yellow (toughfeld). Both sexes show strongly ruous-tinged underparts in all and ade to an even bu in spring. Many times, hwont be able to tell the age/sex o a Harrier and should be satisfed to leave the identifcation at the species level. A

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Osprey behavior. Ospreys hover and soar over lakes and waterways in search o fsh below the waters surace. Althoughthey expend signifcant energy while hunting, they are well adapted with great stamina and may be airborne or hoursat a time. Unlike Bald Eagles, they rarely pluck fsh o the surace o the water and are not known to scavenge. Teyare ecient hunters but must adjust their aim to their underwater target, coming up empty-handed much more oenthan Bald Eagles. When they spot a fsh close to the surace, they dive eet-frst into the water, partially submerging

to grab the fsh with their sharply curved talons. Aer catching their prey, Ospreys use a great deal o orthemselves rom the water. As soon as they take ight, they shake o any water so they are able to y moretheir weighty prey, which they hold aerodynamically head-frst. Ospreys are uniquely adapted with acutelyons and rough spines, called spicules, on the bottom o their eet that help them to easily hang on to their sli


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American Kestrel is a beautiul raptor. Sadly, it is declining rapidly in many areas as a result o habitat loss. Is it worth protecting?


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to Kestrels, but are more compact, with slightly stockier wingsand chests, and exhibit much stier wingbeats and direct, dashingight. Teir speed in a ull sprint humiliates the Kestrel. Tey arepartial to sitting on the top o snags where they can scope out thesurrounding countryside. 1st-year aiga Merlins o both sexesare extremely similar in plumage to adult emales, and it is oen

impossible to tell them apart in the feld. Tey oen lactone to the upperside and head o adult emales, but syear birds appear slaty on top. Te streaks on the undeoen less blobby or teardrop-shaped, and the undertaare less heavily marked; however, because o plumage vit may be dicult to see clear dierences between the

Boreal orest is the home o the aiga Merlin. Te taiga race is themost widespread and common o the three races. It does not nestwithin earshot o Bald Eagles (on nest), but does occupy the samehabitat. Recently, like a number o other raptors, it has adaptedto humans and is increasingly moving to urban areas to eed andnest. Adult males have slate-blue upperparts with bold tail band-

ing. Tey are paler below with ruous-brown streaking and a yel-low-orange wash, especially the leg eathers and wrists on manymales. Adult emales are dark slate-brown above with multiplewhitish tail bands, and heavily streaked below with checkeredunderwings. Tey oen appear dark. A prominent broad whitetail tip on barred tail is distinctive. All Merlins are similar in size

MerlinMerlin Falco columbarius MERL L 912 in, WS 2127 in, W 4.58.3 oz, page 248

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avors woodland and clis or nesting. Highly aerial and so-cial, soars in large kettles, rising and spinning tornado-like onthe horizon, and gathers in numbers at kills, during migration,and at roosts. Eats primarily carrion detected mainly by smell.Frequently scavenges along roadsides, attending roadkills withBlack Vulture and Crested Caracara. ears prey with powerulbill, but has relatively weak eet, unlike stronger talons o rap-tors. Te urkey Buzzard leaves its prey reluctantly and rarelyretreats ar. Oen perches on dead snags, r adio towers, and util-

ity poles, and requently holds wings outstretched to htion ight eathers and increase body temperature (loat night to conserve energy). Partly migratory, mostlrom the northern parts o range in winter, especiallyBasin and northern Great Plains, but has been ound years with increasing regularity arther north than usuabirds average slightly larger and usually have more ptubercules (colorul, wartlike protuberances near thethe ace than western birds, but some birds appear inte

On the ground, easily identifed by its large size, dark plumage,eatherless head, and clumsy movements. But in ight becomesgraceul and elegant, and at a distance can be conused withother large, dark soaring birds (especially Zone-tailed Hawk).Unsteady in ight, wobbling rom side to side. Always holdswings in a strong dihedral. Appears comparatively smaller-headed than other raptors, and shows plain silvery ight eathersthat contrast with otherwise blackish plumage. Long tail usu-ally rounded at tip. Sexes similar in plumage and size. Adult has

eatherless red head and ivory bill. Ageing 1st-years is straight-orward in all, but harder in spring. 1st-year has neat, same-ageight eathers with no signs o molt, and broad buy tips on theupperwing coverts; head and bill grayish changing to pinkishwith a dusky-tipped bill as early as 34 months old (timing var-ies). Over the course o the frst year, head becomes darker red,completely eatherless, and the bill more wholly whitish, as onadult. Some 2nd-years retain aint dusky bill tip in the secondall, usually hard to see in the feld. Occurs in any habitat, but

urkey Vulture (East) Cathartes aura UVU L 2428 in, WS 6371 in, W 3.55.3 lb, page 175 urkey Vulture (West)

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Widespread Eastern Raptors. In the East all the breeding buteos occur only as light morphs, so you neednt worry about thegreat variation that exists in these species in the West. O the 3 common eastern buteos, Red-tailed is by ar the most wide-spread and requently encountered, and it pays to become amiliar with it. Red-taileds o all ages show airly prominent darkbellybands in the East and usually dark patagial marks (leading edge o the underwing). Look at the birds on the plate and try

to fnd the Red-taileds. I the bird has a plainer underwing pattern, its a Broad-winged or a Red-shouldered. Redusually show streaked breasts and a more square-handed look to the wingtips than Broad-wingeds, which are qbelow but always have more tapered wingtips. Identiy and age these widespread buteos in upstate New York on aAnswers p.270

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Te Widespread Common Raptors. In many areas, raptors o all sorts can be seen. Se veral species are common or widespreadthroughout North America, so your understanding o which species to expect in a certain area or habitat may narrow yourchoices. Ten try to decide what type o raptor (alcon, accipiter, buteo) you are watching; this helps to narrow your choices

even urther. Mastering the identifcation o these species will create a great platorm or wherever you travel. Sidentiy, age, and sex all these common raptors that are requently encountered. Answers p.274

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Into the Sun! How many times have you ollowed a ying raptor until it has rea ched the sun, but still havent made the ID? Most silhou-ettes, even o the most boldly marked birds, appear blackish. Some species with pale areas in the ight and tail eathers will show bold

patterns where the sun shines through. When birds are near the sun, their shape and plumage may appear altered, but traits that will tell them rom the others. Be aware o this altering eect, but try to identiy these hawks with confdence. A

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streaks. Te underparts typically appear paler than on other1st-year accipiters with streaking usually most concentratedon the breast ading to cleaner white on the belly and under-tail coverts Western birds average more heavily streaked below,and can be conusing. 1st-year Coopers Hawks are similarin appearance to Sharp-shinned and Northern Goshawks. Itis intermediate in size and this is sometimes, but not always,distinctive. Size dierences between the sexes are signifcant:males are close to emale Sharp-shins and male Goshawks.

Compared with that o emale Sharp-shinned Hawk, tis more rounded with a broader white terminal bandthe longer, broader and more rounded tail are usualltive. Wings are narrower-based and longer with a leading edge. Te head projects arther beyond the wlooks contrastingly tawny in juveniles. Coopers Hwith sti, shallow wingbeats that come rom the Adults have broader and rounder-looking wings than making them appear more similar to Sharp-shinne

Coopers Hawks are a airly common and increasing inhabit-ant o low- and mid-elevation orest. Tey have adapted to hu-mans and are now requent in urban areas, where they sneakin low and ast to snatch unsuspecting eeder birds. Tey eedmostly on doves and starlings, but birds their own size are alsoair game. In the West, their habitat preerence is streamsideorest or patches o woodland within open city areas, such ascanyon washes, parks, and gol courses, but they also hang outin places such as downtown Los Angeles. Adults are bluish on

top and rusty-barred below with uy, white undertail eath-ers, and orange eyes that turn dark red at a ew years old. Tetail is indistinctly banded with a bold white tip, and the head isdark with a paler nape. Te white tail tip is usually more promi-nent than on Sharp-shinned Hawk. Adult males are bluer ontop, with a grayer cheek and more vibrant in color underneaththan emales, especially birds more than 2 years old. 1st-yearCoopers Hawks are brown on the upperparts and lightly tomoderately streaked on the underparts with large, tear-dropped

Coopers HawkjuvenileCoopers HawkAccipiter cooperii COHA L 1419 in, WS 2834 in, W 1024 oz, page 197

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