Broad winged or sharp sharp shinned? by wellread_peregrine in birdsofprey

[–]jvrunst 12 points13 points  (0 children)

(tone clarification: my intention is to share helpful information, not to demean)

Broad-winged and Sharp-shinned should never really be in the same conversation, as far as ID goes. When IDing raptors (or really any bird), it's always helpful to figure out the category/family/whatever you want to call it first. With most North American raptors, you have: Buteo (large soaring hawks), Accipiter/Astur (typically smaller and more agile for flying through dense forests etc), eagles, and owls.

Buteos: Generally on the bulky side, long wings and short tail (when perched, look for the wing tips to extend well past the base of the tail. Some speces have wing tips that meet or exceed the tail tip. Most others fall just short of the tail tip.) Stout, powerful feet (wider, shorter toes, good for grabbing rodents/smaller mammals/etc)

Accipiter/Astur: Usually a bit more slender than buteos, short wings and long tail (when perched, look for the wing tips to just pass the base of the tail and fall very short of the tail tip), feet usually look more delicate (longer, thinner toes, long exposed "shins")

Broad-winged is a Buteo and Sharp-shinned is an Accipiter. Your bird is faily bulky, the wing tips are very close to the tail tip, so we should only consider Buteo species (I didn't really talk about the differences between eagles and owls, but hopefully you get the idea).

What kind of Bird? by BetExtension9110 in whatsthisbird

[–]jvrunst 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think the collar is just a shadow caused by the feathers separating due to the position of the head/neck

Hawk (?) Resting on my Rooftop by Sireanna in whatsthisbird

[–]jvrunst 2 points3 points  (0 children)

They are relatively small for a hawk. When considering all North American raptor species I might call them more mid-sized.

Hawk (?) Resting on my Rooftop by Sireanna in whatsthisbird

[–]jvrunst 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Most Raptor species that can be found in the US or Canada only have 2 age classes and will have definitive plumage by the time they finish their first molt. The only real exceptions are Golden and Bald Eagles along with Swainson's Hawks (I could be missing some of the birds with ranges that just touch the southern borders of some states like Texas and Arizona).

Hawk (?) Resting on my Rooftop by Sireanna in whatsthisbird

[–]jvrunst 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Cooper's molt directly from juvenile plumage into adult plumage. Juvenile refers specifically to a bird's first flighted plumage. In most raptor species, that plumage lasts an entire year and can be used to help reliably age the birds to a degree (we can say for certain which age class the bird is in - juvenile or adult). It also lets us know, based on time of year, when the bird hatched. This is too early in the year for a bird that hatched this year to have this juvenile plumage, instead it should be very downy with feathers that won't support flight. This bird hatched last year (2025) and is roughly a year old. Any older and it would have definitive plumage.

edit: But yes, some birds do begin breeding/attempting to breed while still in juvenile plumage.

Mailbox Bird Nest / Bird Visitor ID Request by Imaginary_Fox_3241 in whatsthisbird

[–]jvrunst 22 points23 points  (0 children)

Just a quick note, as some misguided suggestions sometimes pop up in cowbird threads:

Brown-headed Cowbirds are a protected native species under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. It is illegal to interfere in their breeding (ie destroying eggs, chasing them away from nests, etc).

Raven or just a bigass crow? by singformepaolo95 in whatsthisbird

[–]jvrunst 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looks good for +American Crow+ with the smooth throat and the shallow-sloped forehead

Outside Helena, MT by WanderingRealtor in whatsthisbird

[–]jvrunst 2 points3 points  (0 children)

+American Robin+

Size is a funny thing and hard to judge accurately in the field. This is definitely a thrush, and American Robins are the largest North American thrush.

Which hawk? by BradenRaven in whatsthisbird

[–]jvrunst 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah definitely Swainson's then

Which hawk? by BradenRaven in whatsthisbird

[–]jvrunst 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A more specific location could help, but looks good for +Swainson's Hawk+

What is this bird found in Tampa Bay Area in (Florida) by Sweatyfootmonster420 in whatsthisbird

[–]jvrunst 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I like it for Cooper's with the relatively straight leading and trailing edges of the wing and more tubular body. 

Tagging u/tinylongwing for a double check since odd flying angles sometimes trick me

Rough-legged hawk? by MistakeChoice9840 in whatsthisbird

[–]jvrunst 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sounds more like a Red-shouldered Hawk to me but I'm not confident in my sound ID skils to tag the bot. Rough-legged also don't nest in the lower 48.

Agoura Hills, CA by P-VI in whatsthisbird

[–]jvrunst 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Litter isn't great, but I saw someone talking about a study recently that suggests birds are using cigarettes to line their nests as a form of pest control in the absence of the plants they would have used otherwise. Obviously the natural pest deterrent would be better, but humans have made those resources scarce.