Baby Hawk

This is an immature Red-Shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) that I encountered today in the woods near Lemon Bluff on the St. Johns River.



Hawks and Eagles are in the family Accipitridae. They are diurnal birds of prey with hooked beaks and claws.



This large juvenile possesses the pale Florida form of plumage. He sat perfectly still while I wandered around 30 feet (10 meters) below his perch. He looked so perfectly suited to be sitting in the moss and ferns on the lowest hanging branch of a very old Live Oak Tree (Quercus virginiana Mill.).



From behind he appears like a completely different species. This is the same bird.



He's recognized as a buteo by the ample tail and broad wings. . .and by the heavy dark bands across both sides of the tail. Adults have rufous shoulders and pale robin-red underparts.