Ferruginous Hawk Screaming
by Karen Slagle
Title
Ferruginous Hawk Screaming
Artist
Karen Slagle
Medium
Photograph
Description
This is the largest of the North American Buteos and is often mistaken for an eagle due to its size, proportions, and behavior. Among all the nearly thirty species of Buteo in the world, only the upland buzzard (B. hemilasius) of Asia averages larger in length and wingspan. The weight of the upland buzzard and ferruginous broadly overlaps and which of these two species is the heaviest in the genus is debatable.[5] As with all birds of prey, the female ferruginous hawk is larger than the male, but there is some overlap between small females and large males in the range of measurements. Length in this species ranges from 51 to 71 cm (20 to 28 in) with an average of 58 cm (23 in), wingspan from 122 to 158 cm (48 to 62 in), with an average of about 139 cm (55 in), and weight from 907 to 2,268 g (32.0 to 80.0 oz).[6][7][8][9][10] Weight varies in the species relatively restricted breeding range. In the southern reaches of the species breeding range, i.e. Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, males average 1,050 g (37 oz), in a sample of fifteen, and females average 1,231 g (43.4 oz), in a sample of four.[11][12] In the northern stretches of the breeding range, in southern Canada, Washington, Idaho and North Dakota, the hawks are heavier averaging 1,163 g (41.0 oz) in males (from a sample of 30) and 1,776 g (62.6 oz) in females (from a sample of 37). Upland buzzard average weights were intermediate between those body mass surveys, notably heavier than the first and less heavier than the latter one, particularly the sample of 37 ferruginous hawk females place it as the most massive type of Buteo in northern populations.[13][14]
Adults have long broad wings and a broad gray, rusty, or white tail. The legs are feathered to the talons, like the rough-legged hawk. There are two color forms:
Light morph birds are rusty brown on the upper parts and pale on the head, neck, and underparts with rust on the legs and some rust marking on the underwing. The upper wings are grey. The "ferruginous" name refers to the rusty color of the light-morph birds.
Dark-morph birds are dark brown on both upperparts and underparts with light areas on the upper and lower wings.
There are no subspecies.
Uploaded
February 16th, 2023
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Comments (20)
Don Columbus
Congratulations, your work is Featured in "Birds In Focus" I invite you to place it in the group's "2020-2023 Featured Image Archive Discussion"!
Dawn Currie
Congratulations! This fine image of an identified wild bird is among the features for 3/3/2023! Thank you for sharing with the Wild Birds of the World - A Nature Photography Group. Please take a moment to add it to the March 2023 Features discussion for additional visibility.
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