In general, the difference in look between subspecies of a species will be less obvious than the difference between the species as a whole and other, similar species. Subspecies distinctions may not exist, or be apparent, among juvenile or immature individuals. As with the species as a whole, there is variation in the appearance of individuals within a subspecies population. Individuals of different subspecies can freely interbreed. Do not expect to be able to identify all, many, or even just occasional birds to subspecies. Caution and careful observations are the watch-words. Reliable diagnostic characteristics may be little known, work only with statistical analyses, or be hard to see. Often variability abounds, clinal features will frustrate, and un-identifiable birds can be the norm. It commonly takes a different mindset to see and document subspecies than species. Cautions and pitfalls in identifying subspecies If you are a birder in Vermont, be on the watch for, and help us learn more about these subspecies (especially abieticola) in the state, as we know very little at this point in time! On a cold and blustery day, maybe you want to go back through old Red-tailed pictures and tackle subspecies ID or just marvel at the variation (it is now super easy to upload photos to a Vermont eBird checklist!). “Western/Southern Alaskan Red-tailed Hawk” ( Buteo jamaicensis calurus/alascensis) – apparently rare in the Northeast.“Northern Red-tailed Hawk” ( Buteo jamaicensis abieticola) – present in non-breeding months but little documentation.“Eastern Red-tailed Hawk” ( Buteo jamaicensis borealis) – ubiquitous.Only three are known from New England and adjacent New York: Red-tailed Hawks currently have nine recognized subspecies in eBird, all limited globally to North and Central America. They may or may not be easy for most of us to tell apart. Subspecies are named populations of a species which have distinctive ranges, behaviors, and identifying visible and/or vocal traits.

Recently it has become more and more clear, especially during the non-breeding months, that in New England and adjacent New York more than one subspecies shares our open lands and fringing forests. But is it just different individuals, ages, and sexes, or could it be birds from different, recognizable subspecies? How often have you looked at a ubiquitous Red-tailed Hawk on a roadside pole, a nearby tree, or soaring overhead, and wondered aloud about how it just looks different … or wondered if it even was a Red-tail? We all know that Vermont’s most familiar hawk comes in different sizes, shades, and plumage patterns.

Red tailed hawk