Todd and all, Wheeler, in *Raptors of Western North America, *notes "Two records in the w. U.S. of melanistic individuals. . . . Both birds lacked the white uppertail coverts of typical Northern Harriers." Wheeler's book was published in 2003 which fits with the ABA photo quiz stating that the bird in their photo was the third documented sighting of this rare form on Northern Harrier (the two noted in Wheeler's book then the one in the July,2009 ABA photo quiz). By the way, Wheeler discussed this form in a section entitled "Abnormal Plumages."
Congratulations on your sighting. SeEtta Moss Canon City http://BirdsAndNature.blogspot.com > I google searched and came up with an ABA photo quiz, > http://www.aba.org/birding/v41n4p74.pdf, that shows a dark morph Northern > Harrier, but could find no other information. > > Todd Deininger > Longmont, CO > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Colorado Field Ornithologists: http://www.cfo-link.org/ Colorado County Birding: http://www.coloradocountybirding.com/ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.as/group/cobirds?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
