Apologies in advance if I'm wrong on this (I haven't seen a Rough-legged in years), but perhaps this iNaturalist report <https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/146305310> show a dark morph Rough-legged @ RM Arsenal? The same bird appears on at least one eBird checklist <https://ebird.org/checklist/S125815747>. It appears more uniformly black, without the belly-band look of the original bird. It also seems to have feathered legs. If so, then indeed a dark morph Rough-legged is around.
I'm smitten and beguiled by the variety of winter Red-tailed Hawks. (And I should spend more time with a field guide.) And I haven't yet forgotten my first encounter with a Rough-legged Hawk -- which stared me down, eating roadkill, only to be displaced by my lifer harrier, then a Red-tailed. A remarkable scene outside DIA. - Jared Del Rosso Centennial, CO On Monday, January 23, 2023 at 7:36:32 PM UTC-7 [email protected] wrote: > To take a step back, dark morph Rough-leggeds are strikingly blackish to > black not brown. I like this image, even though not sharp, by Judy McKeon > from a recent outing we had in South Park. > > David Suddjian > Ken Caryl Valley > Littleton, CO > > [image: 20230105-20230105-_JCB1660.JPG] > > On Mon, Jan 23, 2023 at 6:48 PM [email protected] <[email protected]> > wrote: > >> Hi Ron, Krista and all. >> >> I was studying the photographs and comparing it with images in Raptors of >> Western North America and Birds of Prey of the East by Brian K Wheeler and >> deciding exactly what to write, when I saw a reply from Krista, whom I >> agree with. >> >> My wife had shown me the images this morning that you had posted. My >> immediate impression was that it was a Red-tailed Hawk as I could clearly >> see the patagial mark on the flying bird. This is pathognomonic for RTHA as >> no other buteo shows it. >> >> Doing the fall count at Dinosaur Ridge Hawk Watch in 2022 as well as >> conducting 3 Winter Raptor Surveys for HMANA in NY for 5 years and CO this >> season, I realized identifying dark morph buteos is extremely difficult in >> CO and I have been studying the literature to distinguish them.* What I >> found is that while the head, breast and belly can be dark – this does not >> affect the tail pattern, so this is what is recommended for use primarily >> for ID purposes.* The flight feathers too retain unchanged the pattern >> of the species. >> >> So if it had been a Rough-legged Hawk the tail as seen from below would >> have been white-based with multiple dark tail bands on a male, a single >> broad dark sub-terminal band on a female, and a dusky terminal band on >> an immature – which we don’t see on the posted images. >> >> The squarish black carpal patches would show up distinctly if it were a >> Rough-legged Hawk, even against the darkish underwing coverts (which are >> not too dark) in the image of the flying bird. >> >> Even a dark morph Rough-legged Hawk would have white outer lores and >> forehead creating a white mask. I remember Brian K. Wheeler’s talk at DFO >> about 4 years ago when he emphasized that Red-tailed Hawk has pale lores, >> that Krista mentioned. >> >> On a Rough-legged Hawk the bases of the primaries are dazzlingly white >> when seen from below. >> >> An additional ID feature to age the bird – the trailing edge of the wings >> has a distinct black border which makes it an adult bird, so also the dark >> eyes. >> >> Excellent points by Krista especially about the feathering of the legs, >> which I hadn’t thought of. (Btw while the belly is a little darker on the >> perched image I don’t see a bellyband, nor do I see one on the flying bird >> where there is a shadow on the belly). >> >> Ajit I Antony >> Central Park, Colorado >> >> On Monday, January 23, 2023 at 4:37:57 PM UTC-7 [email protected] >> wrote: >> >>> Ron: >>> >>> This is a beautiful raptor and your photos are great. However, this is a >>> red tailed hawk. There are patagial bars that are clear and visible (a dead >>> give away for a red tail), as are the gray lores and faint belly band. >>> Also, it lacks booted tarsi (seen, or rather- not seen- in the second >>> photo), nor is the tail banded as you would expect in a rough legged hawk. >>> >>> Regardless, beautiful bird- thanks for sharing your sighting and photos! >>> >>> Krista Hinman >>> Castle Rock, CO >>> >>> On Mon, Jan 23, 2023 at 2:55 AM Ron Wolf <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>>> There has been a dark morph Rough-legged Hawk (RLHA) hanging out at >>>> Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. I saw the bird on Sunday, >>>> Jan. 22, and on each of the previous two weekends. A FWS ranger said she >>>> has been seeing this bird regularly for the last few weeks. All of the >>>> sightings have occurred on the wildlife loop road along the first quarter >>>> mile before crossing into the bison area and along the first mile inside >>>> the bison area. At first glance the perched bird might appear to be a dark >>>> morph Red-tailed Hawk, but when it takes flight the distinction becomes >>>> apparent. See photos at: >>>> >>>> https://www.flickr.com/photos/rwolf/52570651028/ >>>> >>>> https://www.flickr.com/photos/rwolf/52570397204/ >>>> >>>> >>>> Ron Wolf >>>> Arvada, CO >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> -- >>>> -- >>>> 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] >>>> For more options, visit this group at >>>> http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en?hl=en >>>> * All posts should be signed with the poster's full name and city. >>>> Include bird species and location in the subject line when appropriate >>>> * Join Colorado Field Ornithologists >>>> https://cobirds.org/CFO/Membership/ >>>> --- >>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>> Groups "Colorado Birds" group. >>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>>> an email to [email protected]. >>>> To view this discussion on the web visit >>>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/767D7363-B2E9-4916-8847-C3CE3CCEE9BE%40eyeonnature.com >>>> . >>>> >>> -- >>> Krista Hinman >>> www.kristahinman.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] >> For more options, visit this group at >> http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en?hl=en >> * All posts should be signed with the poster's full name and city. >> Include bird species and location in the subject line when appropriate >> * Join Colorado Field Ornithologists https://cobirds.org/CFO/Membership/ >> --- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "Colorado Birds" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> > To view this discussion on the web visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/3baa33ba-edcf-4fb7-a8f7-7c1eef4d6e0fn%40googlegroups.com >> >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/3baa33ba-edcf-4fb7-a8f7-7c1eef4d6e0fn%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> > -- -- 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] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en?hl=en * All posts should be signed with the poster's full name and city. Include bird species and location in the subject line when appropriate * Join Colorado Field Ornithologists https://cobirds.org/CFO/Membership/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/141ecb8b-2c91-48a2-9295-1285775ef795n%40googlegroups.com.
