How to Identify Daytime Birds of Prey in the U.S. and Canada

Look for long wings raised into a shallow V and an unsteady rocking glide. From below, the flight feathers look pale along most of each wing, behind a darker front section. A Black Vulture usually shows its pale patches out near the tips. A high Turkey Vulture can show little or no red on the head from your angle.

A short, nearly square tail and broad wings give this vulture a compact shape. The wings often look nearly level in a glide. Watch for a few quick flaps, then a glide. Pale feathers on the underside are concentrated near the wingtips. A Turkey Vulture has pale flight feathers along much more of each wing.

Bald Eagles usually soar on broad, flat wings with a substantial head projecting in front. A white head and white tail are the adult pattern. A young Bald Eagle can be mostly dark with patches of white under its wings. Its big bill and the way the head sticks out are useful checks against Golden Eagle.

In a glide, a Golden Eagle usually shows less head in front of the wings than a Bald Eagle. A young bird may have neat white patches on both wings and a white tail base that ends in a wide dark band. Adults can appear almost uniformly brown from far away, so shape matters when you can’t see the golden nape.

From below, look for long wings bent at the wrists, with a dark patch at each bend and barred flight feathers behind them. The body is mostly white. Over water, an Osprey may hover before plunging feetfirst for a fish. The wing shape, dark wrists, and fishing behavior work well together.

Watch a long-tailed bird quartering low over a marsh or field with wings slightly raised. A white rump patch often flashes when it banks. A gray adult male and a brown female can look quite different in color, but they share that rump patch and the same low searching flight.

Broad wings and a broad, rounded tail are the first clues. Look for a dark bar along the front of each underwing from shoulder toward wrist. A pale bird often shows a darker belly band too. Many adults have a rusty tail, but a young bird’s tail is usually brown with narrow bars.

When the bird is backlit, look for a pale translucent crescent near the end of each wing. The tail has alternating dark and light bands. Adults often show a warm reddish chest, but the wing windows can help with a younger bird. Body color alone varies with region and age.

Compared with a Red-tailed Hawk, a Broad-winged Hawk looks compact, with a short tail and wing tips that can look pointed in a glide. Light-morph adults show pale underwings with a dark trailing edge and a boldly banded tail. In fall, many may circle together on migration.

Its wings are long and pointed, giving it a slimmer profile than a Red-tailed Hawk. A light-morph adult has pale underwing coverts, dark flight feathers, and a dark chest bib. Very dark birds show less contrast. Start with the long, pointed shape in open country in the West.

In North America this bird is called a Rough-legged Hawk. Over open country in winter, it may hover while hunting. A light-morph bird often shows dark wrist patches and a pale tail base with one or more dark bands near the tip. Look for a dark belly patch too, especially on females and young birds.

A Cooper’s Hawk has rounded wings, a long tail, and a head that often sticks out well in front of the wings in a glide. Its outer tail feathers are shorter than the central ones, so the tail can look rounded. Check both features. Size overlaps with Sharp-shinned Hawk because females are larger than males.

Look for a small-looking head that barely sticks out from the front of the wings, with a long tail that often looks relatively square at the end. A few quick flaps followed by a glide are common. The angle can change the apparent tail shape, so give head projection and tail shape a look together.

This small falcon may hover over a field or pause on a wire or exposed post. Look for two dark marks on each side of the face. From above, a male’s wings look slate blue, while a female’s look reddish brown. Confirm a hovering bird with a second clue before you name it.

A Merlin often cuts directly across open ground on quick, strong wingbeats. It looks more compact and heavy-chested than an American Kestrel. If a closer view shows a streaked chest and a banded tail, those help back up the flight impression. Its face markings are usually less bold than a kestrel’s.

Look for long, sharply pointed wings and fast, powerful flight. An adult often has a dark cap and broad dark cheek stripe against a paler throat. A young bird may show streaks on its underside where adults are finely barred. A fast pass is a first clue, and a good view of the face can help confirm it.

Look at the underside of the wings on a pale falcon crossing open country in the West. The dark patches where the wings meet the body stand out against the paler underwing. A Peregrine can have a strong face stripe as well, so the dark inner wing patches are a better clue when comparing the two.