On this morning’s Washtenaw Audubon birding hike through Nichols Arboretum in Ann Arbor, Michigan, we had an interesting encounter with a young Red-tailed Hawk.
One of our group of 20+ folks spotted the hawk from a good distance away, perched on the crossbow of a utility pole adjacent to the trail.
We carefully watched from afar as one of the more advanced birders in the group quickly identified it as a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk.
How could they tell so quickly it was a juvenile? And a Red-tailed Hawk?
First they noticed the dark back of the hawk. Then they looked closely at the tail.
Adult Red-tailed Hawks are known for their red tail (though some have more gray in the tail than red).
Juvenile Red-tailed Hawks have striped or banded tails of brown with black stripes, as seen in my photo.
As the bird gets older, the bands are replaced by solid reddish-brown colors.
What surprised us as we got closer to the hawk: it never moved, other than to turn its head.
We were a large group and the bird never moved from its perch.
I expected it would fly off when we got within 20 feet of the bird. But it stayed still as it stared at us from above.
When you find a hawk in Michigan and you’re wondering what kind of hawk it is, here’s some advice from one of our local group leaders:
If it’s a large hawk perched in the edge of a tree branch or on a pole, consider what features the hawk has that would rule out a Red-tailed Hawk.
Does it have a dark belly band on a light-colored belly? Did you notice the reddish-tipped tail when it flew? Or did it have a banded tail?
Because more often than not, it’s likely a Red-tailed Hawk.
