English and Scientific names:	White tailed Hawk (Buteo albicaudatus hypsopodius)
Number of individuals:	1 juvenile (lightly marked type)
Locality: LOUISIANA:	Cameron
Specific Locality:	“Willow Island”, off LA-82S/Trosclair Rd., ca. 5 mi. E of Cameron
Date(s) when observed:	28 October and 4 November 2007
Time(s) of day when observed:	~4:15-5:30 PM CDT on 10/28, and ~3:15-3:30 PM CDT on 11/04
Reporting observer and address:	Justin Bosler 827 C E. Boyd Dr. Baton Rouge, LA
Other observers accompanying reporter who also identified the bird(s):	Devin Bosler
Other observers accompanying reporter who independently identified the bird(s):	Paul Conover, David Muth, Dan Purrington, Phillip Wallace, and Curt Sorrells
Light conditions (position of bird in relation to shade and to direction and amount of light):	Excellent light conditions on both occasions with sun high overhead or on our backs.
Optical equipment:	Zeiss Victory FL 8x42 binocular (good condition) and Nikon Fieldscope 60ED w/ 45x optical zoom (fair condition)
Distance to bird(s):	At 250+ meters on 10/28, and within ~50 meters on 11/04
Duration of observation:	Approximately 45 minutes on 10/28, and 15 minutes on 11/04
Habitat:	: Scrubby, overgrown pasture adjacent to open, live oak chenier
Behavior of bird:	On 10/28 the juvenile raptor was seen well in direct flight, gliding, hovering, and on a low perch facing away at ~90 degree angle. It was seen flying south to north over a short distance, and was nearly misidentified as a juv. Swainson’s Hawk (SWHA). Evident in flight were the long, narrow and pointed wings, longish gray-brown tail with whitish uppertail coverts, and overall blackish appearance above and mottled appearance below. Hovering/kiting behavior was peculiar, and matched that of SWHA and White-tailed Hawk (WTHA). Wingbeats while hovering were relatively shallow. During short distance glide, wings were held in a prominent dihedral. In addition, it was observed perched on low snags on 10/28 and 11/04. On 11/04, it was perched close to LA-82S for a majority of the time.
Description:	): Very dark and lanky juvenile raptor first seen in flight. Immediately obvious were the long, narrow and pointed wings which flared outward a bit at the secondaries. The wings were very dark brown above and moderately mottled ventrally. The ventral surface of the remiges was grayish and contrasted markedly with white median covert bar. Also, the trailing edge of the remiges had a faint dusky band. Pale bases to the primaries were set off by the blackish underwing primary coverts. Axillaries were heavily mottled, and the flanks and belly were considerably lighter. In flight, whitish uppertail coverts were noticeable, as well as the pale gray-brown upper surface to the tail (fine dark barring seen well when perched). Other subtle features could be examined better once perched. The head was very dark brown with a large white patch on either side of the head that extended down from the supercilium to below the auriculars. The throat was also blackish and had a thin white vertical strip on either side. The bill was black at the tip and blended to medium gray toward the base. The cere was a bright steel blue. The upperparts were uniformly dark (some light brown bars evident on tertials when perched) and there was a noticeable contrast between the slate-brown of the head and nape and the dark brown of the upper back. There was a large, white patch on the breast, which was surrounded by the dark sides of the neck and the fairly heavily mottled belly and flanks. The leg feathers were lightly barred. UTCs were whitish with fine dark markings and the fine dark barring on the upper surface of the tail was visible. The ventral surface of the tail was very pale, and there was little evidence of a dusky subterminal band, at least when perched (which it will gain with age). This feature was not noted in flight. The longish, exposed tarsus was yellow.
Voice:	No voice heard.
Similar species:	Very dark brown head with large, white patches; lack of pale supercilium; and wholly dark throat helps eliminate juvenile light and dark morph Swainson’s and juv. Eastern Red-tailed Hawks (RTHA). The prominent, medium gray bill with steel blue cere also helps considerably. Juv. Eastern Red-tailed Hawk can be separated by overall pale appearance; broad, wide-tipped wings in flight (wings tips not reaching tail tip when perched), and broad, medium brown tail. The head is larger and paler with white forehead and mostly white throat. The bill is usually larger and the cere is yellow. Juv. Western RTHA eliminated by overall dark head without any white/buff, uniformly dark underparts (lacking white breast patch), and mottled upperparts (barred remiges and coverts and white patches on back). Cere is yellow in all morphs of RTHA. Wings also broad in flight with wide tips. Juv. light morph SWHAs are usually pale headed with a bold, dark malar mark, a pale forehead, and a buffy throat. Although wings present a similar structure, they are always patterned differently with many buffy/whitish markings/edgings on the dorsal surface (including the upper back) while the ventral surface of the remiges is always darker in appearance than that of WTHA. Juv. dark morph SWHAs are considerably darker throughout, lacking the large, white patch on the breast and sides of head.
Photographs or tape recordings obtained?	Digiscoped photos on 10/28 by Justin Bosler at link: http://tinyurl.com/2plycq Photos taken on 11/04 by Gordon Bosler are attached.
Previous experience with this species:	Observed on many trips to the central Coast and LRGV of Texas; however, less experienced with juvenal-plumaged individuals.
Identification aids:	Raptors of Western N.A. (Wheeler, 2003) and NG Complete Birds of N.A. (Alderfer, 2006).
This description is written from:	notes made during both observations, notes made after initial observation, and memory.
Are you positive of your identification? If not, explain:	Yes, 100% positive
Reporter:	Justin Bosler
Date and time:	12 March 2008 5:05 PM CDT