I clicked on this raptor yesterday morning thinking at the time it was just another Red Shouldered Hawk.
But when I got home and viewed these closer I simply can not ID this bird for the life of me and it's driving me crazy.
The facial markings almost but not quite look like a Kestrel and the beak also matched that of a Kestrel but the rest of the bird and including it's size appears more like a RSH to me. It definitely was not the size of a Kestrel. I wish I would have stayed on him/her to get a launch shot to help properly ID it but I thought it was just another RSH so I just took these two shots and went back to other subjects.
I have searched and searched the net for any Hawk or Falcon (males, females and Juveniles) to no avail, but can't positively ID this one.
Can any of you help identify this raptor?
This was shot 4-15-22 in SC in golden hour light. Heavy crops.
Because of the dark brown patch lower part of cheek and a bit more of a rounded head instead of being slightly flattened it could be a Broad-Winged Hawk.
Other possibility for similar markings but the flatter head would be a juvenile RSH.
So my thoughts but not a positive ID. These look nice by the way!
It is a hawk... and that's for sure and indeed it looks like a juvenile, or at least not a fully-grown adult at that. My ID skill leaves a lot to be desired... . Sorry, but the point I am trying to make is that you did well capturing those images, Dave!
Unexpert opinion here, I'd lean to Prairie Falcon- they have been sighted in SC. Possibly PF/Peregrin hybrid.
Curious to see if you get a more informed ID. Sending the pic to Cornell at "allaboutbirds" might be worth a try. Also the pic ID on the Merlin app might help but it's not 100%.
Thanks all.
I'm heavily leaning to this being a really oddly marked Red Shouldered Hawk but I have sent these images to Cornell Lab of Ornithology for confirmation.
Will update if/when I get a reply from them.
Many raptors have a lot of variation in the coloration of plumage, making ID sometimes a bit of a challenge. What you see for an illustration in a guidebook is a guide, not the exact definition of what the species must look like. Even the experts are sometimes stumped, depending on what is seen in a photo. I think it is a Merlin.
Adding my two cents - I work as a raptor biologist in California.
It is definitely a hawk in the Buteo genus (i.e. not a falcon or accipiter). My best guess is that it is an immature red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus). On the east coast the immature birds can definitely have that appearance with quite a bit of white on the breast and belly, with red-brown spotting / streaks, and the facial markings match as well.
If anyone uses eBird online, you can check the record for red-shouldered hawk at:
The 4th photo in the listed photos on the eBird species account shows an immature red-shouldered hawk from the east coast (in the lineatus group or race) - it is very similar to the photos you posted here.
. Sorry, but the point I am trying to make is that you did well capturing those images, Dave!