Swainson's Hawk

There is no single easy ID on the swainson’s hawk; there are three or four, and you learn them one trip at a time.

Perch posture is half the ID. A swainson’s hawk hunched, a swainson’s hawk alert, and a swainson’s hawk in the wind look like three different birds.

Regional occurrence notes: I usually catch this species in the western north america part of its range.

I’ve had good looks during fall migration on ridges and less consistent luck at coastal stopovers.

Anyway: not a rare bird, not a hard bird, but one I want on every trip.