Two different morphs of red-tailed hawks.

Krider's red-tailed hawk (left) and "typical" form (right).

Yesterday I was out at Johnson's Park in Kelowna and saw a large white-chested raptor; "Something new," I thought to myself.  I was half right.  It turns out it was a red-tailed hawk, which I have seen hundreds (if not thousands) of, but it was an unfamiliar morph.  It was a white form of that bird, called Krider's red-tailed hawk, and I was somewhat taken aback.

According to a number of sites on the internet, Krider's version is actually the more plentiful variety.  They are quite common throughout most of North America.  I am familiar with the darker form, shown on the right in the above photo.  I photographed that in Maple Ridge (Lower Mainland, BC) some years ago.  This revelation has shattered my idea of what a red-tailed hawk is and I find myself having to reformulate what one is.

It turns out there is a striking variety of red-tailed hawks.  It is worth your time to look at this website (https://redtailedhawkproject.org/blog-2/) as it demonstrates the wide range of plumages found in the species.  The most trustworthy characteristics of the species seem to be size, red upper tail feathers, and a dark belly band.  I will have to keep a lookout for these features the next time I spot one to verify my thinking.

Other than the outward appearance, both forms behave the same.  They both favour open hunting areas, eat the same prey, hunt in the same manner, and so on. They are somewhat solitary in nature.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I found a black widow spider in a plant pot today

Image
The spider I found is a western black widow spider, one of three species of black widow that occur in North America.  The fact that this one has another red patch on the back of its abdomen above the spinnerettes tells us that it is an immature individual. The one thing that people know about black widow spiders is that they are extremely poisonous.  Their venom is something like 15x more toxic than that of a rattlesnake.  The saving grace is that there is very little venom injected from a black widow bite than what a rattlesnake can deliver.   The good news is that black widow bites seldom lead to death.  You are more likely to suffer nausea, muscle pain, and swelling around the bite.  Symptoms usually last only 12 hours or so.  Death may be a result in people with compromised immune systems or in the very young or the elderly.   In 2018, it was reported that there were 1015 cases of people bitten by black widows.  Of those, there ...
Read more

The passing of a generation

Image
Kathryn's mom and dad with our children, Josh and Leanne. A generation, for North America, tends to be between 20 and 30 years.  During that time a couple will give birth and raise children to see them repeat the pattern as they themselves have done.  Each generation has its own set of standards, values, and ideals based upon their experiences and culture, and some of that is passed down to their offspring.  What changes are the life experiences of the following generation and the new customs and ideals that are blended together as a couple becomes a family. Kathryn's mom passed away a few days ago, she was predeceased by her husband several years ago.  Both of them were the grandparents of my children, the mother and father of my wife, Kathryn.  It was my pleasure to know them and to love them as my own, for to me they were Mom and Dad.  And they were there to welcome my children into the world just as my children were with them in spirit when they left it...
Read more

Hang in there, things will get better.

Image
The Svendsen Family - Eric, Samuel, Leanne, Joshua (top row), Nora, Kathryn, Chanelle, Emma If I could go back, in my mind, to a day in my life when I was really down, it would be nice to be able to see into the future.  If could see things as they are today, with the many blessings that have been given to me, it would give me hope knowing that things wouldn't always be so discouraging.   The message here is we do not know what the future holds.  When things are bad, it is hard to raise your head out of the mire to see beyond the darkness.  There are no guarantees, of course, that things will be better, but I think it is true that fortunes ebb and flow as tides do.  The trick is to see beyond the low points and not be too haughty during the high ones.  I know that, at this moment, things are very good.  What the future holds is unknown, but low and high points are likely in the forecast.   This is why taking satisfaction from the moment ...
Read more