|
English
and Scientific names: |
Harris's
Hawk, Parabuteo unicinctus
|
|
Number
of individuals: |
1 adult |
|
Locality:
LOUISIANA: |
Lafayette |
|
Specific
Locality: |
1 mile east of Rayne, LA, along Hwy 90. |
|
Date(s)
when observed: |
November 2, 2009 |
|
Time(s)
of day when observed: |
4:00 PM |
|
Reporting
observer and address: |
Dave Patton |
|
Other observers
accompanying reporter who also identified the bird(s): |
Bill Hoffpauir and Paul Conover |
|
Other observers who
independently identified the bird(s) |
Bill Hoffpauir found the bird about 2 hours
before we all met at the location. |
|
Light conditions
(position of bird in relation to shade and to direction and amount of light): |
setting sun behind us |
|
Optical
equipment: |
Binoculars |
|
Distance
to bird(s): |
100 yards |
|
Duration
of observation: |
10 minutes |
|
Habitat:
|
Open rice fields with hedge rows and grassy
ditches along roads. Also a line of small trees along a railroad track near
by. |
|
Behavior
of bird: |
Sitting on the cross tie of a telephone pole.
It would flush and move to a different cross tie when we got too close. It
also move over the tree line to a different area at times. It returned to the
telephone poles a short time later. It was having a territory squable with a
Red-tailed that liked a pole about 1/4 mile away. It seemed intent on
searching the tall grass below the pole. |
|
Description: |
Dark brown head, back, and breast. Wings also
dark with dark red shoulders and wing lining seen in flight. Breast and belly
solid dark as with an adult. Long yellow legs without metal bands or jessies.
White rump and under tail coverts as well as a white base to the tail. Thick
dark band on the middle of tail with a
thin and worn terminal band of white. Brown eye, yellow cere and face, and a
silver gray bill. |
|
Voice: |
None |
|
Similar species: |
Red-tailed by solid dark body, white rump, red
shoulders, and bright white rump and base of tail. These features also
elliminated other species as well. |
|
Photographs or tape
recordings obtained? |
Yes. 300 mm lens on a Canon
SLR by Dave Patton. |
|
Previous experience with
this species: |
One in Louisiana and a small number on trips
to Texas. |
|
Identification
aids: |
Sibley's |
|
This
description is written from: |
Memory and photographs taken yesterday |
|
Are you positive of your
identification? If not, explain: |
Yes. There are several Harris\'s Hawks in
Texas at this time near the LA boarder according to Texas naturalist John
Arvin. |
|
Date
and time: |
November 3, 2009,
12:30 PM |