BajaNomad

Help identifying this bird, please

Acuity - 11-26-2007 at 07:45 AM

Two days ago, a very large bird came to sit in one of our palm trees in Todos Santos. It was the size of an eagle, mostly black except for horizontal bars on its tail. A very hooked beak, and a head like an eagle (or osprey) Bigger than an osprey, though. Don't think it was a Caracara - wrong shape head (and it was black)

No, it wasn't a vulture! It's wings, when it flew away, were neither particularly broad, nor narrow. The local birds got quite upset when it arrived, and quietened down when it left.

I've never seen one quite like this, and I can't see anything like it in my bird books - any ideas for what it was? And I wasn't either dreaming or over-medicated - my wife saw it as well!

Natalie Ann - 11-26-2007 at 08:41 AM

What color horizontal bars?
(not that I know from birds, but might help ID)

Crusoe - 11-26-2007 at 08:54 AM

Acuity........It was most likely a Golden Eagle. Depending on the present lighting situation you were or were not looking into (birds feather colors play tricks) you may or may not have been looking at the same color as in a bird book. I have seen Golden Eagles in Baja and even offshore from a boat out in the Sea of Cortes along way from land. ++C++

Acuity - 11-26-2007 at 09:11 AM

Natalie:

The bars were lighter - grey / brown, and only on the tail. Visible when sitting.

Cardon - 11-26-2007 at 09:14 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Acuity
Two days ago, a very large bird came to sit in one of our palm trees in Todos Santos. It was the size of an eagle, mostly black except for horizontal bars on its tail. A very hooked beak, and a head like an eagle (or osprey) Bigger than an osprey, though. Don't think it was a Caracara - wrong shape head (and it was black)



Possibly a Harris Hawk. I see them frequently down there. Here is a link to a picture:

http://identify.whatbird.com/img/4/1874/image.aspx

Acuity - 11-26-2007 at 12:38 PM

Cardon - I think that's it. Looked at Wikipedia entry as well and there's a picture there that is very like what we saw - I gather those in Baja can be a little darker. They are supposed to hunt in packs, so I wonder where its buddies were?

Anyway, many thanks!

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