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Ferruginous hawks are the largest North American buteos and are characteristic birds of open prairies and plains. They are uncommon and declining in much of their range, but many spend the winter in southern California, and the San Jacinto Wildlife Area (close to my home in Riverside) is a stronghold for these spectacular raptors. I've counted as many as six perched on power poles on a two-mile stretch of road. Ferruginous hawks occur in two color morphs; these juveniles show the more common light phase -- a large, pale bird with touches of rusty red on the back and legs (more on adults). One image shows a juvenile ferruginous sharing a power pole with a Swainson's hawk (the latter an unusual sight in southern California in winter). The bird in the cottonwood tree was at Bosque del Apache refuge in New Mexico.
Photographs of adults can be found here, dark-morph ferruginous hawks are here, and flying birds are here. I took most of these photos out of my car window; most ferruginous hawks are much less concerned by vehicles than
by humans on foot.
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