tags: Rough-billed Pelican, American White Pelican, Pelecanus erythrorhynchos, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery birds] American White Pelican, sometimes known as the Rough-billed Pelican due to the structure that develops on the upper mandible of breeding adults, Pelecanus erythrorhynchos, photographed at Smith Point, Texas. Numerous Broad-winged hawks, Buteo platypterus (background) with two red-tailed hawks, Buteo jamaicensis (right of center, lower left) [I will identify these birds for you in 48 hours -- If you can convince me there's other species in this image, feel free to add your comments and supporting arguments]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 26 September 2009 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/1250s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Can you name ALL the species in this image?
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I see an American White Pelican and a whole lot of Broad-winged Hawks...
American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos); many Broad-winged Hawks (Buteo platypterus); probably a Cooper's Hawk in the top left quadrant (Accipiter cooperii); but that light-colored hawk, center right, is giving me some trouble- maybe a Red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)?
David, I'm not sold on the Cooper's -- looks to me like a bunch of Broad-wings, and two Red-tails. (There appears to be another one in the lower left corner). Both of them show very clean underwings, large pale windows typical of immature Red-tails, and broader secondaries than the Broad-wings.
The two upper left birds appear to me to possibly be dark-morph Broad-wings -- I know that Corpus Christi gets them every year.
psweet, missed the second Red-tailed... I just can't get enough resolution on the enlargement of the photo to do any more than guess at the unusual ones: dark morph Broad-wings sounds good but then could the two "Red-wings" be light morphs instead?
Actually, the 'light morph' Broad-wing is the one we think of as typical. Dark-morphs are very rare in the East -- they only breed in Alberta (and maybe northern B.C.). And most of these birds are clearly Broad-wings. On the other hand, a quick check of Wheeler shows some immature Broad-wings with a single dark subterminal band on the tail, similar to the one in the center. Since a Red-tail would have to be significantly higher to appear the same size as the Broad-wings, I guess maybe you're right -- unfortunately, it seems we may be down to two species, then.