Posted on 12/27/2006 5:47:58 PM PST by Pharmboy
Great Horned Owl
They are buteos -- hawk-like raptors of the genus Buteo. (True hawks belong to the genus Accipitridae.) Buteos differ from true hawks in several physical and behavioral categories (e.g. tail length, hunting behavior, etc.) However, it is perfectly OK to call redtails by the nickname "hawk" -- it's an honorable term for an honorable bird. Around here (North Texas) most people just call them "redtails". (In the UK, redtails are known as "buzzards"!)
Thanks. I always learn neat stuff on FR...
Watch a flock of pigeons crane their necks when a hawk flies way up in the sky, and you'll realize how alert birds always have to be for danger from above.
Same here. But considering all the other things he got right; I'll let that one pass.
No, but they usually hatch up in the Northern park of the Hudson River... 150 miles or so north of NYC. Usually only the larger ones make it down to NYC Harbor. Up in Greene County NY we can catch a couple dozen of smaller striped bass (6-8 inches)in a few hours on worms- they are all over the Hudson up in this part of the state.
You're welcome. Please note, however, that I made a mistake in my above post. I said that Buteos are a distinct genus from Accipiteridae. Actually, both Buteos and Accipiters (true hawks) are genera within the taxonomic family Accipiteridae. The correct classification for redtails is:
Class: Aves (birds)
Order: Falconiformes (birds with sickle-shaped wings)
Family: Accipitridae (hawk-like birds of prey)
Subfamily: Buteoninae (buteos, buzzards, eagles)
Genus: Buteo
Species: Jamaicensis
Sorry for the screw-up.
Golden Eagle
Maybe a juvenile bald. tell, tell...
I've been around the world a few times now, and I've also gone birding in Central Park and seen Pale Male. Americans do a fine job protecting the environment, especially in comparison with most of the world. Bald Eagles are flying over Manhattan as a symbol of the greatness of our country and our values. In fact, the last time I was in Central Park, I spotted several dozen species of birds, including a night heron, as well as coming across a raccoon in that patch of woods near the tower (I said I've been there; I'm not an expert on New York landscapes. Didn't the tower have something to do with Shakespeare?).
The shame of it is that stories like this should be boldly stated as something we can be proud of as Americans. When a species is in danger, we step up and do what is needed to make sure that our grandchildren's grandchildren will be able to see these beautiful animals. That says something powerful about our values and culture. Meanwhile, the Chinese let a river dolphin go extinct this week; Africans are eating whole genera to death; Islamists are too focused on killing Jews to worry about wildlife.
That bald eagle is just one tiny way that we are indeed a light to the world. It makes me proud.
I love mockingbirds. A number of them lived near me and haunted the oak tree in my front yard. One morning, my cheap Chinese alarm clock squealed its three beep alarm four times before I could turn it off. As I got up and looked out the window (which happened to be opened) a mockingbird repeated the alarm clock sound four times exactly. Funniest thing I'd heard in a very long time.
One of my most special memories is seeing eagles at Grand Canyon. The were so obviously experienced at, and enthralled by, their great swoops on the unique wind currents and echoes over the canyon; it made me understand the phrase "poetry in motion."
My guess would be that the bird is a red-tailed hawk, based on waht looks the tail feathers which look sort of pinkish.
One morning in N TX I went out to do my daily birdbath water change when I saw the Mockingbird coming at me like a dart from the roof eave. He did not stop till I actually lay on the ground. I thought he had become demented until I saw him tend to a tiny fledgling- located just by the birdbath. I slowly crawled my way back in the house while Mr Mocker stared at me.
I don't know about the bird but I would like to see if we can transplant the spine out of that cat into a GOP candidate!
The Eagle Response: "Honey...Grow Up!"
Is that an altered picture?
If not, what a shot!
In this case, I hope the cat didn't win, but you never know,
the cat may be a female protecting its' kittens from a
predator (and trying to score a meal at the same time)
LOL. I, too, have felt the wrath of the mockingbird. Still, you gotta admire them. They fear nothing and no one when it comes to guarding that nest.
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