![]() Red tails have a dark “belly band” of speckled feathers, and white below that. Looking at the belly will also tell you if the bird is a red tailed hawk or a peregrine falcon. Peregrine falcons have what is called a malar stripe- the dark coloring on their faces looks like sideburns! A red tailed hawk has a solid brown head. And peregrine falcons are primarily blue-gray while red tails are reddish brown. Peregrine falcons are much smaller than red tailed hawks- about the size of crows. How can you tell if a bird is a red tailed hawk or a peregrine falcon? Red tailed hawk or peregrine falcon Note the shape of the red tailed hawk’s wing when comparing it to the peregrine falcon below. But red tailed hawks have dark colored heads and red-brown tails. Adult bald eagles have white tails and of course, white heads. What about comparing bald eagles vs red tailed hawks?īald eagles are much larger than red tailed hawks- the average bald eagle weighs about 8 pounds and the average red tail is about 2.5 pounds!Īnd bald eagles have brown undersides, vs the red tailed hawk’s white belly. ![]() And juveniles, like the one on the left in the image below, are mostly brown with a little white mottling. If you’re out west, it is possible the bird is a golden eagle Red tailed hawk vs bald eagle Adult bald eagles have brown undersides, white tails, and of course, white heads. Finally golden eagles are rare in the eastern United States. Younger eagles may have white patches on their wings and tails. But golden eagles are dark brown with a slight golden sheen on their head and neck. Red tailed hawks have brown backs and white undersides. And hawks are around 2.5 pounds, compared to 9 pound eagles! Red tailed hawks have a wingspan of about 3 feet vs the eagle’s 5 feet. There are 3 easy ways to tell if a bird is a red tailed hawk or golden eagle ![]() ![]() In addition to the dark belly, golden eagles also have light brown or golden feathers on their heads and wings If you want more detailed information, I highly recommend the book “Hawks from Every Angle.” And here are more books that will help you identify hawks, whether you are a beginner or advanced birder! Red tailed hawk or golden eagle Note the lighter colored underside on this red tailed hawk vs golden eagle’s dark colored belly below. Red tailed hawks look similar to other large raptors, especially at a distance. How to tell red tailed hawks apart from similar birds of prey Red tailed hawks do not have a red tail until they are about one year old. Juvenile red tailed hawks have brown tails. If you still aren’t sure, here are more tips and comparisons! Does a juvenile red tailed hawk have a red tail? Also check out its legs compared to the ferruginous hawk in step 3! You can see this red tailed hawk has a very light belly, with a bit of black speckling across the middle. However, ospreys, peregrine falcons, and Cooper’s hawks all have lighter undersides. Turkey vultures, bald eagles, golden eagles, Harris’s hawks, and red shouldered hawks all have dark bellies, so this clue helps a lot! Since melanin controls the pigmentation (or color) of an animal, everything from their skin to feathers (or fur), claws, nails, eyes, and so-forth will appear pale.If the bird has a light colored underside and broad wings, it’s probably a red tailed hawk. Albinism is a genetic condition resulting from mutations of the genes that produce melanin within an animal. This is the defining difference between leucism and albinism. More intense cases of leucism are typically the result of a genetic imbalance or improper nutrition, however. All of this can be the result of something as simple as an injury to an animal. Or, you may hear some conservationists refer to this as the “piebald effect” of leucism itself. When an animal features more of a patchwork of white-to-normal coloration, this is when piebald is the correct, defining term. (Photo credit: ERIC FEFERBERG/AFP via Getty Images) This animal is the result of a captive breeding program aiming at protecting endangered species. A one-year-old albino alligator is pictured at Paris’ aquarium on February 12, 2014. She would be fully leucistic to most wildlife biologists, though, because she is predominantly white. Leucistic animals can have irregular patches of white while keeping normal coloration elsewhere, as this red-tailed hawk shows. Piebald, however, is a form of leucism and not a different condition altogether.
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