It was a phenomenal sight and left a lasting impact. This bird, if seen ventrally, and at a great distance, could easily have passed as a Rough-legged Hawk. We encountered a very heavily-marked adult Red-tailed Hawk exhibiting a dark hood and a complete dark brown belly band which increased in girth towards its flanks.

On 21 November 2013, Michael Runtz and I were birding in Prince Edward County, Ontario. My introduction to abieticola could not have been more of an epiphany. I felt the same until I laid my eyes upon my first Northern Red-tailed Hawk ( abieticola). Northern Red-tailed Hawk ( Buteo jamaicensis abieticola)Ī hawk, once determined to be a Red-tailed, is usually ignored thereafter. Jon Ruddy of Ottawa has put together this excellent summary which will hopefully encourage eBirders in eastern Canada to start watching for and reporting their observation of this beautiful bird! Of the above subspecies, the least known (and least eBirded) seems to be the Northern Red-tailed Hawk. Red-tailed Hawk (Northern) ( Buteo jamaicensis abieticola) Red-tailed Hawk (Krider’s) ( Buteo jamaicensis kriderii) Red-tailed Hawk (Harlan’s) ( Buteo jamaicensis harlani) Red-tailed Hawk (Eastern) ( Buteo jamaicensis borealis) Red-tailed Hawk (Western) ( Buteo jamaicensis calurus) To get an idea of the range for each of the reportable Red-tailed Hawk subspecies in Canada check out the links below to their eBird maps: Subspecies aren’t always straightforward so be sure to include comments, particularly for out of range subspecies, in the species comments about how you identified it as that subspecies.įigure 1: You’ll need to check the “show subspecies” option to be able to enter data to subspecies level in eBird If that is the case, click the “add species” button in the margin and start typing its name until the option pops up. In some cases a subspecies might not appear in checklist. You might also have to check “show rarities” if the subspecies is listed as rare for that date or location. Submitting observations to the subspecies level is simple you just have to check the “show subspecies” option in the right-hand margin of the species list step when you are submitting your checklist (Figure 1). Sorting through the various subspecies of this well-known raptor can be a challenge for birders of all skill levels.ĮBird is a great place to report your specific sightings of Red-tailed Hawks but, if you go one step further and identify and report it to the subspecies level, you are adding valuable information to our understanding of subspecies ranges and patterns of frequency and abundance.

Perhaps no species displays a greater variability across the continent than the familiar Red-tailed Hawk. Canada is a huge country and the geographic variation exhibited by our birds can be substantial.

Red tailed hawk