Is this a Red-Tailed Hawk?

by Petra
(Hamilton, Ontario, Canada)


My husband and I came across this bird on January 7, 2012.

We're in Hamilton, Ontario and we've been watching Red-tailed Hawks for years now.

This didn't seem to look like one.

It seemed a lot smaller than the hawks we've seen and its colours don't seem to be the same.

Could you possibly identify it for us.

Thanks!

Hi Petra, I'm not a bird expert, but I believe what you have here is a Kestrel - perhaps one of our readers will know for sure!

Comments for Is this a Red-Tailed Hawk?

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Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		American Kestrel
by: Anonymous

It's a female. Males have blue-grey wings. She's probably an adult but juveniles are very similar to adults by the time winter hits.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		American Kestrel
by: Anonymous

It's an American Kestrel which is not a Hawk but is a Falcon, the smallest of the Falcons.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Kestrel
by: clarington

Up here in Clarington one of these bird is frequent behind my house on a fence, I think its feeding on grasshoppers.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Kestrel
by: Anonymous

Thank you for identifying the Kestrel.

I had one in my backyard pear tree this afternoon for at least an hour. Unfortunately, I had to leave the house before it flew away.

They do habit a park down on Lakeshore Boulevard in Etobicoke, but I have never seen one so closely for such an extended period of time.

It was a treat.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Thanks for helping me identify this bird
by: Anonymous

It makes bird-watching that much more enjoyable when you can identify what you are looking at!
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Identifing A Bird
by: Country Gal

It is a Kestrel. North America's smallest breed of Hawk!

There is a wonderful bird site I use for my bird photography to identify birds I photograph, if I am not to sure as to what breed they are!

It is called All About Birds

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