Family Reference
Raptors
Diurnal birds of prey — hawks, falcons, eagles, kites — for the birder learning to read silhouettes against the sky.
The Complete Raptors Guide: Hawks, Falcons, Eagles & Kites
Field reference to diurnal raptors: silhouette, flight style, hunting behaviour, taxonomy, and how to read a bird against the sky.
Read the guide →Species & Profiles
All articles in this section
Cooper's Hawk vs Sharp-shinned Hawk: The Accipiter Diagnostic
Head projection, tail shape, and wingbeat cadence separate Cooper's Hawk from Sharp-shinned Hawk. Sex-based size overlap, hunting style, and feeder-station behaviour.
Red-tailed vs Red-shouldered Hawk: Buteo ID for the Eastern US
Size, tail pattern, and the diagnostic primary windows separate Red-tailed Hawk from Red-shouldered Hawk. Habitat, voice, and flight silhouette for eastern North America.
Why Are Vultures Circling Over My House?
Vultures circling overhead are thermal soaring, not signalling death. Covers Turkey Vulture and Black Vulture ID, olfaction mechanics, threat assessment for pets and structures, and a diagnostic table for when circling is actually meaningful.
Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis): The Forest Accipiter
Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis), the largest North American accipiter. Field profile covering identification, habitat, hunting, breeding, and the recent American Goshawk split.
Why Is a Hawk at My Bird Feeder?
A hawk at your feeder is ecologically normal. Cooper's and Sharp-shinned Hawks hunt concentrated prey. Identification, what to do, and legal status.
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis): Identification & Hunting Behaviour
Field profile of Buteo jamaicensis: distance identification, belly band, morph variation, hunting behaviour, and roadside habitat use.
Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos): Holarctic Mountain Predator
Field profile of Aquila chrysaetos: identification, open-country hunting, mammal prey, cliff nesting, Holarctic range, and wind-energy collision risk.
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus): Recovery & Identification
Identification and ecology of Haliaeetus leucocephalus: adult and immature plumages, fish diet, nesting, scavenging, and post-DDT recovery.
Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii): Identification & Backyard Predator
Field profile of Accipiter cooperii: identification, urban feeder predation, woodland hunting, breeding biology, and separation from Sharp-shinned Hawk.
Merlin (Falco columbarius): The Compact, Fast Falcon
Field profile of Falco columbarius: a compact falcon of direct flight, bird prey, open-country hunting, conifer nesting, and separation from kestrel.
Mississippi Kite (Ictinia mississippiensis): Insect-hunting Aerialist
Profile of Ictinia mississippiensis: graceful flight, insect diet, southern breeding range, urban nesting, migration, and nest defence behaviour.
Swainson's Hawk (Buteo swainsoni): Long-distance Buteo Migrant
Field profile of Buteo swainsoni: prairie breeding, long-winged identification, insect diet, migration to Argentina, and pesticide mortality.
Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo): Britain's Most Numerous Raptor
Identification and ecology of Buteo buteo: variable plumage, British recovery, mewing calls, roadside hunting, carrion, rabbits, and woodland nesting.
Red Kite (Milvus milvus): A British Conservation Success
Profile of Milvus milvus: forked-tail identification, scavenging ecology, British reintroduction history, feeding behaviour, breeding, and poisoning risk.
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus): The Stooping Apex Falcon
Profile of Falco peregrinus: identification, stoop mechanics, urban nesting, bird prey, breeding biology, and recovery after DDT-induced eggshell thinning.
Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus): The Garden's Bird-hunting Accipiter
Field profile of Accipiter nisus: British and Eurasian garden predation, identification, sexual size dimorphism, woodland nesting, and songbird prey.
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius): Identification & Why It's Declining
Field profile of Falco sparverius: small-falcon identification, hover-hunting, nest cavities, prey, and the documented North American decline.
Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus): Migrant of the Kettle
Profile of Buteo platypterus: compact forest buteo, identification, woodland breeding, amphibian and small mammal prey, and spectacular autumn kettles.
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus): The Specialised Fish Hawk
Profile of Pandion haliaetus: fish-hunting anatomy, plunge-diving, identification, migration, nest platforms, breeding biology, and contaminant recovery.
Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus): The Smaller Accipiter
Identification and biology of Accipiter striatus, the small woodland accipiter often confused with Cooper's Hawk at feeders and migration watchpoints.
Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius): The Owl-faced Harrier
Field profile of Circus hudsonius: low quartering flight, facial disc, marsh and grassland habitat, vole prey, nesting, and open-country conservation.