I’ve seen a few mentions of eye color being used to age Red-tailed Hawks on the internet recently, so I thought I’d write a short blip relating to the subject (FYI—here is another related post). Here are three examples of adult Red-tailed Hawks that have a pale yellow eye; enjoy!! This post was written by […]
Red-tailed Hawk Eye Color Note Read More »
Interesting to me, I get asked quite often what the difference between the word “race” and “subspecies” is when talking about or discussing bird ID. Do the two words mean the same thing, or do they have two separate meanings? Basically, the words mean the same thing, but race is more informal, and subspecies is
“Subspecies” vs. “Race” Read More »
In the bird watching, bird banding, falconry, or any bird-related community, there are age class terms that all people use. Some terms have a specific definition, some are more general, and some are specific only in certain instances. The fact that some terms only have one meaning while others can have several meanings is the
Terminology Mix-ups Read More »
I want to comment on something that is difficult to see in the field but often obvious in close-up photos. For many raptors, eye color differs between juveniles and adults. This is true for Bald Eagles, female Harriers, accipiters, many buteos, and a few other species to a lesser degree. Birds such as falcons have
Eye Color Usually Matches Molt Read More »
I was reminded recently of a raptor tidbit and wanted to get your thoughts… I had heard long ago (yikes, 30 years ago) that most birds with whitish or pale primaries and secondaries have black tips to these feathers (not all do, of course) because the melanin in the dark part of the feather helps
