A redtailed hawk (above) is growing new red deck feathers for its tail It is changing from its juvenile to adult plumage The new feathers look like little paint brushes People sometimes think the feathers coming in are blue because the feather shafts look blue For this reason, baby songbirds are sometimes misidentified as blue jays!Click on the photo of the flying juvenile (immature) Redtail Hawk to the left to see the characteristics that identify this bird (picture is of Eastern Race) Dark Patagial Mark this mark should be visible on all light phase Redtailed Hawks of all subspecies Look for this field character first Since most Redtails in the East and a majority of Redtails in the West are light phased birds, this character can be used to identify most Redtailed HawksPhotographer Jerry and Sherry Liguori
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