How to Identify Ferruginous Hawk Feathers

What Ferruginous Hawk's Feathers Look Like

Ferruginous Hawk is the largest of the North American buteos, and light-morph birds (the majority) show a striking combination that shows up well in individual feathers: rusty, "ferruginous" rufous-orange feathers on the legs and shoulders, contrasting with an otherwise pale, whitish head, breast, and underparts. Leg feathers are notably long and fully feathered down to the toes (unlike many buteos), rufous-orange in color, sometimes described as looking like rusty pantaloons. Back and upperwing covert feathers show a rich mix of rufous, gray, and white, while flight feathers (primaries and secondaries) are pale grayish on the underside with only light barring, giving a pale wing overall in flight. Dark-morph birds, less common, show deep rufous-brown feathers throughout the body, still with paler flight feathers. Tail feathers are pale gray to whitish, often washed with a light rufous tone, and lack the bold dark subterminal band seen in many other hawks.

Step-by-Step: Is This Feather From a Ferruginous Hawk?

• Look for rufous leg feathers: fully feathered, rust-orange leg feathers reaching down to the foot are one of the most distinctive marks of this species among American hawks.
• Check the overall paleness of flight feathers: primaries and secondaries should look notably pale grayish underneath, without heavy dark barring or a bold dark band.
• Assess tail color: a pale gray-white tail feather without a bold dark terminal band supports Ferruginous Hawk over most other buteos.
• Consider size: feathers should be large, reflecting the biggest buteo in North America, generally larger than Red-tailed Hawk feathers of the same type.
• Check shoulder/back feathers for a rufous-and-white mix: a feather combining rufous, gray, and white in a soft pattern, rather than bold dark streaking, fits this species.

Similar Species & How to Tell Them Apart

Red-tailed Hawk, the most widespread American buteo, shows a brick-red tail (not pale gray-white) and typically a dark belly band on body feathers, both features Ferruginous Hawk lacks; Red-tailed Hawk's legs are also not fully feathered to the foot in most subspecies. Rough-legged Hawk, which also has feathered legs, shows dark carpal patches on the underwing and a tail with a bold dark subterminal band, both absent in Ferruginous Hawk's paler, more evenly toned tail and wing feathers. Swainson's Hawk, sharing similar open-country range, shows a darker breast band and unfeathered legs, quite different from Ferruginous Hawk's pale breast and rusty feathered legs. The fully feathered rufous legs combined with an overall pale tail is the most reliable combination for confirming this species.

Where & When You'll Find Them

Ferruginous Hawk breeds in open grassland, sagebrush steppe, and prairie of the western United States and southern Canada, nesting on cliffs, isolated trees, or human-made structures in open landscapes, and winters further south into the southwestern US and Mexico. Feathers are most likely to be found near nest sites on cliff ledges or lone trees in open prairie, and around favored perches such as fence posts and utility poles used for hunting ground squirrels and other prey. Molt occurs mainly in summer, after breeding (roughly June-September), making late summer the best time to find dropped flight and body feathers near nesting territories, while winter feather finds are more likely on wintering grounds in open grassland and agricultural areas further south.