Outdoor Ontario
Request for Information => Bird ID => Topic started by: takkatakka on August 26, 2016, 09:39:06 PM
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Hi,saw this bird at a golf course in Oshawa and I am wondering if it is a Common nighthawk. The wing shape and black tip at end of the tail make me think it is a Common nighthawk.
Sorry the image is out of focus.
There were several small birds around it (a mix of swallows and a few American goldfinch). They seemed to be mobbing it like crows would do to owls and hawks.
Your help is appreciated.
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You should be able to see the white crescents on a Nighthawk. I'm thinking a falcon, can't tell which one.
/Thomas
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def a falcon, give me more of a merlin vibe than a peregine (but not very sure on that call)
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If it was small like a nighthawk then I'm thinking Kestrel.
Also, the silhouette, long tail and wide black band at the tail tip match the Peterson illustration.
However I'm not sure either.
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The hawkwatcher from Rosetta is bettin' the house that it's a Merlin. :wink:
- shorter, broader tail than a Kestrel
- tail is squared-off compared to the Kestrel's tail which is more tapered
- tail is quite dark compared to the Kestrel's rufous-coloured tail. Adult Kestrels have a single wide black band near the tip of their tail.
Some points quoted from Jerry Liguori's 'Hawks at a Distance' raptor identification guide book.
Hope this helps,
Walter :)
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Thank you to everyone for helping us Id this mystery bird.