Dec 13, 2002:more
flight shots here, showing the outer primary shape/function. Dec 10, 2002: new, revealing
perched perched images are here.
Update, Nov 25, 2002:Click here for perched images. Update, Nov 25, 2002:Brian
Wheeler and Bill Clark both agree that this is a hybrid - mostly
a Swainson's with a little bit of Rough-legged in it. This is
the first documented hybrid between these taxa, and only the third
Buteo hybrid documented in North America.
This raptor was photographed in Southwestern Tarrant County, Texas
on November 19, 2002 by Martin Reid:
initially it looks like the rare form of juvenile light-morph
Swainson's Hawk that has a dark belly - but note the white, unbarred
bases to the outer primaries; the black band formed by the primary
coverts is also very wide next to P5-P8 for SWHA; finally, the
dark banding in the secondaries is thicker and sparser than SWHA,
which has 6 or 7 thin dark lines:
- from above, the upperwing and wing coverts look good for SWHA,
but the tail-rump is a bit odd, with dark spots in a pale uppertail
coverts band, as in juv. Rough-legged/Ferruginous Hawk:
also note the pale creeping into the base of the tail feathers:
-and while hovering (in that near-vertical, high-winged stance
characterisitc of RLHA ) it was apparent in the field and in these
images that the tarsi are feathered - see perched images:
Other images:
