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Keywords

nature
NW of Cochrane
NW of Calgary
Alberta
Canada
avian
raptor
ornithology
birds
bird
bird of prey
Buteo swainsoni
Swainson's Hawk
migratory
Accipitridae
Hawk
Buteo
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Swainson's Hawk

Swainson's Hawk
I'm not too good at identifying Hawks, but I'm guessing that this one is Swainsons's Hawk? Would appreciate it if someone could correct me if I'm wrong - thanks! Saw this one on 15 June 2013, NW of Calgary. Just checked my old folder and there were two Hawks perched just a few fence posts apart and the other one stayed for a short while, but the one in this photo flew off before I could get more than just this one quick shot.

"This species was named after William Swainson, a British naturalist. It is colloquially known as the Grasshopper Hawk or Locust Hawk, as it is very fond of Acrididae (locusts and grasshoppers) and will voraciously eat these insects whenever they are available. Their breeding habitat is prairie and dry grasslands in western North America. They build a stick nest in a tree or shrub or on a cliff edge. This species is a long-distance migrant, wintering in Argentina; there is a single record of a vagrant from Norway. There are two main color variations. Over 90% of individuals are light-morph; the dark morph is most common in the far west of the range." From Wikipedia.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swainson's_Hawk

www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/swainsons_hawk/id

, , LeapFrog, have particularly liked this photo


Comments
 LeapFrog
LeapFrog
Stunning details and an outstanding find and capture Anne ... what a real beauty this one is!! Looks like a Light Morph Juvie ...

www.paulnoll.com/Oregon/Birds/Home/birds-Hawk-Swainsons.jpg
10 years ago.
Anne Elliott club has replied to LeapFrog
Thanks, Art! I did wonder if it was a juvie, as the bib seems to be a little less developed (as far as darkness is concerned), and some of the feathers look a little "fluffy".
10 years ago.

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