Why is this not just a blurred-out, low quality photo of an adult male Cooper’s
Hawk? I found multiple online photos of adult Cooper’s Hawks that have leg
feathering that is much more reddish than the underparts, like appears to be on
this individual.
The underparts of this bird clearly have a rusty brownish tone and the photo is
too blurred out for the barring to be seen. I can’t find any photos of
Bicolored Hawks that show a brownish cast to the underparts. The birds that
look remotely similar to this all have distinctly gray underparts.
This bird also shows the dark cap to paler nape and auricular contrast expected
on Cooper’s and doesn’t look like a fit for Bicolored either.
With bad photos one should assume that irregularities suggested by the photo
are related to issues with photo and not indicative of the bird being a
mega-rarity that has shown no inclination to stray anywhere near Oregon, or
even the U. S. for that matter.
The image quality is not remotely close to good enough for documenting a first
U. S. record, not that I think there is any chance that this bird represents
such a record.
Dave Irons
Beaverton, OR
Sent from my iPhone
On Mar 19, 2019, at 9:48 PM, Jeff Gilligan
<jeffgilligan10@xxxxxxxxx<mailto:jeffgilligan10@xxxxxxxxx>> wrote:
Thanks all for finding the photo from Oregon from last year. I never saw any
reason not to conclude that it was of a Bicolored Hawk. How that species
could get to Oregon is unknown to me. That we can’t explain how something like
this happens, doesn’t mean it hasn’t. As unlikely as it may seem, a Bicolored
Hawk could physically make it to Oregon, and I am convinced that it did.
This should be considered by the Oregon Rare Bird Committee.
I was reminded of this Oregon bird when Judy Meredith and I saw a small
accipiter two days ago near Tumacacori, Arizona. It was not like this Oregon
bird, but instead identical to the White-breasted Hawk (chionogaster) that I
have seen in photos and one old Central American field guide that I have with
me written by Per van Perlo. Its normal range is on the Pacific slope only as
far north as into the southern Mexican state of Chiapas. It is considered a
race of Sharp-shinned Hawk, but looks very different, being black above and on
the wings and most of the head, and white from and including the throat to and
including the under tail coverts, with white leg feathering - really a striking
and simple plumaged bird, with no spots, streaks, etc. I have read that it
may be separate species, and it surely looked like one to me. We are trying
again tomorrow to relocate and photograph it.
Jeff Gilligan
Begin forwarded message:
From: Nicholas Mrvelj <nickmrvelj@xxxxxxxxx<mailto:nickmrvelj@xxxxxxxxx>>
Subject: Re: [obol] Anyone have a link to the thread about the strange
accipiter from last year?
Date: March 19, 2019 at 5:28:40 PM MST
To: jeffgilligan10@xxxxxxxxx<mailto:jeffgilligan10@xxxxxxxxx>
[cid:169987f800eddda55311]