The Cornell Lab Bird Academy › Discussion Groups › Bird Identification › Raptor ID Help

    • KP3
      Participant
      Chirps: 86
      Photo taken in early March of 2019 in upstate NY.  Bird was soaring high above the ground. I was going through older photos today and noticed I never quite settled on an ID for this bird.  Any help would be great.  Thanks!_MG_3135
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    • Annabeth
      Participant
      Chirps: 107
      Maybe a zone tailed hawk. I don't know if they live there though.
    • Nouran the Birdie
      Participant
      Chirps: 11
      It’s either a rough legged Hawk or common Buzzard
    • Steven
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      • Hello.. the Rough-legged Hawk looks very similar.. i have not experience with that species, but reading and looking at photos looks good.. the very contrast flight feathers and wing shape..
      • KP3
        Participant
        Chirps: 86
        I'm leaning towards Rough-Legged Hawk.  Thanks for replying :)
    • Saindhavi
      Participant
      Chirps: 2
      Sorry. It’s quite blur. I am not sure about it. But was it big? If it was then there are possibilities of it being a turkey vulture 
      • Saindhavi
        Participant
        Chirps: 2
        Or a black vulture
      • KP3
        Participant
        Chirps: 86
        Hi, Saindhavi!  Thanks for replying :) There weren't other birds around to get a perspective on size.  I wondered about Turkey Vulture, but the barring on the tail made me unsure.  I was thinking possibly a dark morph Rough-Legged Hawk, but I don't feel experienced enough to say for sure.  It was the right habitat and time of year for this hawk.