Canadian Peregrine Foundation - Raptor Identification

Click on the photos of each species below for our photo gallery of that species and for more information concerning it. For more help in identifying different species, please see our Identification tips, found below the galleries on this page (Click here to go directly to the Identification tips).

Please note that neither this section as a whole, nor the individual parts of it, is exhaustive. There are many raptor species, including some indigenous to North America, that are not included in the present version. If you have photographs or information about any raptor species, please feel encouraged to send e-mail to the Canadian Peregrine Foundation.

(See also the New York identification guide, with Illustrations and brief descriptions of all raptors in the northeastern states.)

Scroll down, or click below for direct access:
Falcons --- Hawks --- Eagles --- Other Raptors

From each category below, try to identify the species that match best with your observations. In most cases this should narrow down the possibilities to just a couple of species. Once these have been selected, go back to the galleries of species at the top of this page, and visit the pages to which the photos lead for more information.

Size:
Try to estimate the size of the bird. The easiest way is often to compare it to a common bird. Some commonly used reference birds are listed in the table below.

A raptor similar in size to a:	...is likely to be a:
Blue Jay, Mourning Dove, Rock Dove (Pigeon), Common Grackle	American Kestrel, Merlin, Sharp-shinned Hawk
American Crow, Ring-billed Gull	Peregrine Falcon, Cooper's Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk
Common Raven or large American Crow	Rough-legged Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Swainson's Hawk, Northern Goshawk, Gyrfalcon

Peregrine with crows - Compare size and colour
(Photo by Hervé Michel / www.oiseaux-nature.com)

Shape:
When perched, most raptors have a similar upright posture. However, in flight the shape of their wings and tail can be very helpful for identification.

Flight shape	Species
Long, narrow wings, generally pointed toward the tips. Moderately long tail, usually narrow, but can be flared wide occasionally.	American Kestrel, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, Gyrfalcon
Short, broad wings, with rounded tips. Long narrow tails.	Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Northern Goshawk
Broad wings, relatively long, and rounded at the tips. Tails short and broad.	Rough-legged Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Swainson's Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk

Colour:
Often the most obvious feature of a bird at first is its plumage. Observing the colours and patterns on a raptor can help greatly in identification.
There are two sections below. The first relates characteristics to species exhibiting that characteristic. The second relates each species to the characteristics it exhibits.

Characteristic

Species

Back	Wings
dull brown	dull brown	immature Merlin, adult female Merlin, immature Peregrine Falcon, immature accipiters (Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Northern Goshawk), Red-tailed Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Swainson's Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, immature Red-shouldered Hawk
rusty brown	rusty brown	female American Kestrel
rusty brown	blue	male American Kestrel
mottled red/gray/black	mottled red/gray/black	adult Red-shouldered Hawk
blue-gray	blue-gray	adult Peregrine Falcon, adult accipiters (Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Northern Goshawk)

Underparts
vertical brown streaks	immature Peregrine Falcon, immature accipiters (Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Northern Goshawk)
upper breast mostly unmarked; horizontal black barring further down	adult Peregrine Falcon
horizontal reddish-brown barring	adult Sharp-shinned Hawk, adult Cooper's Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk
fine horizontal gray barring	adult Northern Goshawk
upper breast dark brown; lower parts mostly white with some speckling	Swainson's Hawk
upper breast pale with light speckling or streaking; dark band across belly (sometimes incomplete)	Red-tailed Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk (light phase)
solid dark brown	Rough-legged Hawk (dark phase)

Iris
yellow	immature accipiters (Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Northern Goshawk), Red-tailed Hawk, immature Broad-winged Hawk, immature Red-shouldered Hawk,
orange/red	adult accipiters (Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Northern Goshawk)
dark brown/black	American Kestrel, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, Gyrfalcon, adult Broad-winged Hawk, adult Red-shouldered Hawk, Swainson's Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk

Raptors

Characteristics

	Back/Wings	Underparts	Iris
immature Peregrine Falcon, immature Merlin, adult female Merlin	Solid brown back	whitish underparts with moderate to heavy vertical brown streaking	black
immature Red-shouldered Hawk, immature Broad-winged Hawk	Mottled brown back	whitish underparts with moderate to heavy vertical brown streaking	yellow
immature accipiters (Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Northern Goshawk)	Solid brown back	whitish underparts with moderate to heavy vertical brown streaking	yellow
adult Peregrine Falcon	Blue-gray back	mostly unmarked white to salmon breast; moderate black barring across rest of underparts. (Distinct malar stripe (mustache) on face)	black
adult Sharp-shinned Hawk, adult Cooper's Hawk	Blue-gray back	underparts covered in moderate to heavy reddish-brown barring	orange/red
adult Northern Goshawk	Blue-gray back	underparts covered in fine gray barring (prominent white line over eye)	orange/red
adult male Merlin	Blue-gray back	vertical brown streaking on breast	black
male American Kestrel	Blue wings contrasting with rusty brown back	rusty brown above with black speckles below	black
female American Kestrel	Rusty brown back and wings	breast white with vertical rusty brown streaks	black
adult Red-tailed Hawk	Dull brown back and wings	upper breast white with brown speckles; partial to complete dark band across lower belly; tail red above, pinkish-red below.	yellow
immature Red-tailed Hawk	Dull brown back and wings	upper breast white with brown speckles; partial to complete dark band across lower belly; tail barred white and brown.	yellow
adult Red-shouldered Hawk	mottled red/gray/black	breast heavily barred with red	dark brown/black
adult Broad-winged Hawk	brown	breast heavily barred with red	dark brown/black

Location:
Many raptors are migratory, and thus have the potential to appear in areas far outside of their normal distribution. For the most part, however, the range of possibilities can be narrowed down by consulting the range maps of any field guide. Most of the species discussed on this page are widespread across much of North America; notable exceptions are the Gyrfalcon (restricted to the Arctic in summer and rarely south of Canada even in winter), the Swainson's Hawk (primarily western), the Broad-winged Hawk (primarily eastern), and the Red-shouldered Hawk (primarily eastern, plus in California).

Habitat:
Most raptors are somewhat adaptable in the range of habitats they frequent, but are more typically found in certain areas, as follows:

Habitat	Most likely species
Forest interior	Merlin, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Northern Goshawk, Broad-winged Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk
Forest edges	Merlin, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Northern Goshawk, Broad-winged Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk
Agricultural lands / other open areas	American Kestrel, Red-tailed Hawk, Swainson's Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Gyrfalcon (also Turkey Vulture)
Wetlands	Red-shouldered Hawk, Peregrine Falcon (also other raptors such as Bald Eagle, Osprey, Northern Harrier)
Residential areas	American Kestrel, Merlin, Red-tailed Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk
Industrial areas	American Kestrel, Red-tailed Hawk
City centres	American Kestrel, Merlin, Red-tailed Hawk, Peregrine Falcon (also Turkey Vulture)

Behaviour:
Observing the way in which any bird acts can often reveal some diagnostic clues. Among raptors, these are some of the more useful behaviours for identification purposes:

Behaviour	Species
High altitude, high speed vertical stoop (dive) at prey	Peregrine Falcon
Low level stoop at prey	American Kestrel, Red-tailed Hawk
Hovering	American Kestrel, Rough-legged Hawk, (occasionally Red-tailed Hawk)
Perching on roadside fence posts / lamp posts / poles / wires	American Kestrel, Red-tailed Hawk, Swainson's Hawk (occasionally Broad-winged Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk)
Hunting at bird feeders	Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk
Low level rapid pursuit of prey	Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Northern Goshawk, Gyrfalcon
Nesting in eavestrough / roof / other building cavities	American Kestrel
Nesting in spruce or other conifer	Merlin, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Northern Goshawk
Nesting in deciduous tree	Red-tailed Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, Swainson's Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Northern Goshawk
Nesting on a cliff	Peregrine Falcon, Gyrfalcon

			Golden Eagle
			Bald Eagle
			Harpy Eagle

			Marsh Harrier
			Northern Harrier
			Turkey Vulture
			Osprey

The Canadian Peregrine Foundation

Scroll down, or click below for direct access: Falcons --- Hawks --- Eagles --- Other Raptors

Scroll down, or click below for direct access:
Falcons --- Hawks --- Eagles --- Other Raptors