What's this Red-tailed Hawk sub-species?

[smittyone@cox.net]

Pics taken south of Council Bluffs, IA, in March last year.  I know it's an immature RTHA, but what sub-species?  Light morph Harlan's maybe?  It's nothing like the Eastern RTHAs I'm used to seeing.

[Seanbirds]

I can’t help you on ssp, but nice photos!

[Jerry Friedman]

13 hours ago, smittyone@cox.net said:

Pics taken south of Council Bluffs, IA, in March last year.  I know it's an immature RTHA, but what sub-species?  Light morph Harlan's maybe?  It's nothing like the Eastern RTHAs I'm used to seeing.

 

I'd call it a juvenile intermediate morph.  That makes it Harlan's or Western.  It certainly seems too dark to be Eastern.  Light-morph Harlan's are white below except the belly-band, and some can be confused with Krider's.

I believe the warm brown color and the mostly dark head (especially around the eyes, where Harlan's often has white) and throat are good for Western.  However, the dark "spikes" at the tips of the tail feathers (visible in the third feather from each side--most of the other tail feathers are worn) and the heavily banded outer primaries are good for Harlan's.  So I can't call the subspecies.  Probably an expert can.  I'll just say that there are such things as intergrades between Harlan's and Western.

https://www.aba.org/birding_archive_files/v36n5p500.pdf

https://ornithologi.com/2012/11/10/differentiating-immature-dark-western-red-tailed-hawks-from-immature-dark-harlans-a-first-hand-experience/

Edited July 19, 2021 by Jerry Friedman
links

[smittyone@cox.net]

Thank you for the links Jerry.  Although I had both of them bookmarked already, and have referred to them often, you wouldn't think so.  I still have difficulty telling apart immature/juvenile Harlan's and Western RTHAs when they migrate through my area every fall/winter.  The implication of an intergrade between the already difficult (for me) to differentiate pair, just gives me nightmares.

Anyone else care to give it a go?  I'd really appreciate a consensus.  

and as a heads up, I have many many more examples collected over the years that remain undefined, that I'll be pestering you smarter-than-me folks in the near future.  I hate having my website/database littered with "undetermined" RTHA pics--especially the "dark" birds.

[Quiscalus quiscula]

I agree with @Jerry Friedman for this one.

[Jerry Friedman]

23 hours ago, smittyone@cox.net said:

Thank you for the links Jerry.  Although I had both of them bookmarked already, and have referred to them often, you wouldn't think so.  I still have difficulty telling apart immature/juvenile Harlan's and Western RTHAs when they migrate through my area every fall/winter.  The implication of an intergrade between the already difficult (for me) to differentiate pair, just gives me nightmares.

Anyone else care to give it a go?  I'd really appreciate a consensus.  

and as a heads up, I have many many more examples collected over the years that remain undefined, that I'll be pestering you smarter-than-me folks in the near future.  I hate having my website/database littered with "undetermined" RTHA pics--especially the "dark" birds.

I may have mentioned this before, but if you're on Facebook, there are experts in the Raptor ID group who will give you quick responses on these questions.

[smittyone@cox.net]

Unfortunately, I gave up on Facebook a few years ago.  Although not always as responsive as I'd like, I've always had great success with this website.

[Peromyscus]

56 minutes ago, smittyone@cox.net said:

Unfortunately, I gave up on Facebook a few years ago.  Although not always as responsive as I'd like, I've always had great success with this website.

Unfortunately? That was a wise decision!