Harlan's Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis harlani), Near Veteran's Oasis Park, Chandler, Maricopa County

This Harlan's Red-tailed Hawk was discovered and photographed by Jimmy McMorran on 26 December 2011.

Rare winter visitor to Arizona, but probably regular in small numbers. May be under-reported due to difficulty in separating it from more common subspecies of Red-tailed Hawk.

This bird is an adult due to the broad black tips to all the flight feathers. It is a black-and-white hawk. No rufous on tail, which is greyish, lightly barred, and has a darker terminal band. Dark breast.  Upperwing dark, without the pale outer "window" that is usually seen on the Western Red-tailed Hawk. Typical dark morph adult Western Red-tails usually have a brownish tone to the feathers and red tails.

26 December 2011, photo by Jimmy McMorran

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