photographs by Douglas Herr
Falconiformes

family Cathartidae

Turkey Vulture

California Condor

family Accipitridae

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)

Jenner, California

White-tailed Kite (Elanus leucurus)
A buoyant flier over open fields in the California central valley, north through coastal Oregon, and east to Texas.

Palo Alto, California

Swallow-tailed Kite (Elanoides forficatus)
A graceful summer resident of the central plains, wintering south of the United States. Its diet includes snakes, grasshoppers, lizards and other small reptiles.

Everglades National Park Florida

Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus)
Bald Eagle (Haleatus leucocephalus)
Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus)
A woodland hawk, about the size of a jay, which breeds as far north as Alaska and northern Canada.

Marin County, California

Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii)
Several photographs
Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis)
A large, secretive hawk of the north and of the western mountains of North America.

Denali National Park Alaska

Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis), captive
A large, secretive hawk of the north and of the western mountains of North America.

California Hawking Club

Harris' Hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus), captive

California Hawking Club

Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)
A buteo of riparian woodlands
Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus)
Common in eastern North America, a rare migrant on the west coast

Marin County, California

Swainson's Hawk (Buteo swainsoni)
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamicensis), immature
In western North America, most hawks seen soaring overhead are this bird. Immature Red-tails do not have a red tail.

California

Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis), captive
Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus), captive
Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)
Wedge-tailed Eagle (Aquila audax), captive

California Hawking Club

family Falconidae

Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus)
The largest of the North American falcons, rarely seen south of Canada.

Denali National Park Alaska

Prairie Falcon (Falco mexicanus)
A pale brown falcon of the western plains, looking like a faded Peregrine Falcon but with black axillars ("wingpits").

Sunol, California

Saker Falcon (Falco cherrug), captive
(several photographs) A Eurasian falcon, popular with falconeers.

California Hawking Club

Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus), captive
Merlin (Falco columbaris)
A compact, uncommon falcon of the northern regions of North America.

Denali National Park Alaska
and California Hawking Club

American Kestrel (Falco sparvarius), captive

all photographs Copyright (C) Douglas Herr
last updated 03 May 2009


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