Large birds...and they're NOT turkeys!

I have some visitors in my yard this morning- anyone know their birds?

They are large (duh!) with wingspans of 3 or four feet, with the 'fingered' wingtips of raptors and buzzards. Their bodies are medium to dark brown, possibly with a touch of gold although that may be my imagination. The underside of their wings is mostly light tan, but darker around the perimeter.

Their heads are all brown and are the classic raptor shape, so they're not Turkey vultures. Beaks are hooked and pale yellow at the base, and ...possibly... red at the tip.

They are not at all shy either-there are four of them orbiting at an altitude of 30 to 120-ish feet over our pasture.

I should mention that I live off Norris Road near the south end of Barber Mill Road and my back yard is bordered by woods and includes a pond popular with ducks and geese (...and foxes!).

I figure they're juvenile males(?) but I can't find an exact match in my book.

Any guesses?

 

I guess some kind of OWL.

 

Might want to shore up that will.

 

It does sound like some sort of buzzard. Did their heads have feathers? If not, could have been that. Or juvenile eagles of some sort too. Owls don't genearlly fly around in the day light, and definitely not in groups.

 

Young bald eagles do not have the white feathers on their head, so perhaps it could be an eagle. If its tail feathers have a red tinge it could be a red-tail hawk. Female red-tails get very large...almost as large as an eagle. There's one that flies over sometimes trying to score a squirrel. They'll hit the tops of the tall short-leaf pines so hard that the tops will rock back and forth.

My guess, however, is another type of buzzard other than a turkey vulture. Either that or a mythical Thunderbird. Get a picture.

 

I just had to look up an avian visitor to our yard. I'd never seen a "Northern Flicker" before. It was a type of woodpecker, but it was just working the ground. Turns out, that's what they do. Beautiful bird!

 

A picture would be good but I can't get them to sit still that long! I suspect it would just be a dark blob against a bright sky anyway.

They weren't owls either. I don't know much 'bout birds but I've seen owls before, just not during the day and not hunting in groups.

Their heads were fully feathered.

They definitely weren't turkey vultures- I've met those suckas up close and they're some kind of ugly!

 

I've seen them circling above our house as well,always thought they were some kind of hawk :?
Last year one was actually sitting on one of the wooden posts right outside the window on a daily basis,so I had a chance to get quite the close up view.

 

Red tail hawk?

 

Hawks are the most logical guess, but these were really large birds and had all brown bodies and mostly tan wings, and were not mottled as in the pics. Also their wings were quite long in proportion to their bodies- their wingspan was about three times the length of their bodies.

The difference in coloration could be because they were juveniles, but that wouldn't account for the proportions.

 

How about a buzzard such as this one:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-legged_Buzzard

 

Could be bald eagles too,at least immature ones,since it takes about 5 years for them to reach their adult plumage.Wingspan about 80".
I've seen some at Jordan Lake.

 

After reading your description once again I believe that it might be a Golden Eagle,here's a description of them I found online

Golden Eagle

Aquila chrysaetos
Length—37 inches
Wingspan—86 inches

Golden eagles do not live in Missouri year-round but winter here in small numbers. Adults are recognizable by their large size, immense wingspan, brown body and the golden sheen of the feathers on the crown and back of the head. Immature birds have brown and white underwings, with darker wing linings than immature bald eagles, and the base of their tail is bright white with a dark brown tip. Golden eagles have feathered legs.

Unlike bald eagles, which are usually found near water, golden eagles hunt in open grasslands for a wide variety of prey, including rabbits and other small mammals and birds. In flight, golden eagles resemble turkey vultures, soaring with their wings slightly raised.

 

And here is a picture of one:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Eagle

 

In this part of the country, they're a lot more likely to be immature bald eagles than golden eagles. Here's a photo of an immature bald eagle, taken in Wake County:



This site has tons of bird pictures, taken all over NC.
http://www.dpughphoto.com/birds.htm

 

Probably just some of Redneck Rich's flock that got loose. :jester:

 

That was one of my earlier thoughts as well,especially since the bald eagle does not get it's adult plumage until later.

 

Maybe Peregrine falcons. They do visit NC during the winter and they are called "duck hawks." Fastest recorded animal on the planet (in a free fall) reaching speeds of 180+ MPH. You might also search online for kites, which are in the raptor family.

 

They are fairly small, though, aren't they? I'm not sure how anyone could confuse a hawk or something similar for a buzzard or eagle. Huge difference in size. Dollars to donuts, it's young eagles. Although I am not sure they hunt together.

 

The female red-tail hawk can get up to a wingspan of about 5 feet, which can look rather impressive at tree top height. Perhaps the bird I'm seeing regularly is a young eagle, because she's a whopper, although I wouldn't tell her that to her beak. :jester: