Sighting Record for Utah

Common name:	Gray Hawk
Scientific name:	Buteo plagiatus
Date:	June 13, 2021
Time:	9:00 am
Length of time observed:	3 minutes
Number:	1
Age:	Adult
Sex:
Location:	Lytle Ranch
County:	Washington
Latilong:
Elevation:	2800 ft
Distance to bird:	100 yards perched, 25 feet flyby, then 30+ yards perched
Optical equipment:	10x42 and 8x42 binoculars
Weather:	Hot and clear
Light Conditions:	Bright sun
Description: Size of bird:	Small to medium buteo
(Description:) Basic Shape:	Hawk
(Description:) Overall Pattern:	Gray
(Description:) Bill Type:	Hawk beak, hooked
(Description:) Field Marks and Identifying Characteristics:	Bill color, black or dark gray with a bright yellow cere. Head gray with a thin dark line extending behind the dark eye. Color of back and folded wings (seen on perched bird), medium/dark gray. Throat, pale gray. Breast and belly, could not distinguish fine barring, but overall coloring was gray. Under tail, very pale gray or white. Legs, bright yellow (same as cere). Tail, prominent black and white bands. From underneath, the black bands appeared medium/dark gray except for the terminal band which appeared black. On the top of the tail, the bands were clear black and clear white. Under wing was very light gray (almost white) with darker gray edging and black wingtips. Shape (seen in flight) thick body with long tail (held flared out) and comparatively shortish rounded wings.
Song or call & method of delivery:	Not heard.
Behavior:	We scared the bird off its perch in a tree above the pond edge. The bird flew to a perch in a cottonwood tree about 100 yards away. There it was harassed by a Common Raven. The hawk then flew back toward us, passed by about 25 ft. from us, flying low across the pond to another perch. It sat there for about a minute and flew downward behind some trees out of sight. We circled the pond toward where we had last seen the bird and a few minutes later heard and saw a commotion made by two American Kestrels at the top of a cottonwood tree. About 15 seconds later, the hawk flew out of the cottonwood tree toward the ranch. We followed and tried to relocate it, but were unsuccessful. In flight, the hawk held its striking black and white banded tail in a flared position rather than folded and straight.
Habitat:	Scrubby desert wash with sparse desert vegetation, and a pond, and some large trees including cottonwoods.
Similar species and how were they eliminated:	Our first thought when we flushed the bird was that this was a Northern Goshawk, however after observing the perched bird, we quickly realized there was no prominent dark face markings and no reddish eye, so that species was eliminated. The overall gray coloring eliminated all other accipiters and the Broad-winged Hawk. We are not aware of any other hawks which have black and white tail bands.
Previous experience with this & similar species:	Several sightings over the past 20 years, in southeast Arizona, Rio Grande Valley, Guatemala, Costa Rica. Much experience with accipiters and Broad-winged Hawk.
References consulted:	Sibley Guide, All About Birds website
Description from:	Notes made later
Observer:	Kathy and Joel Beyer
Observer's address:	Salt Lake City
Observer's e-mail address:	**
Other observers who independently identified this bird:	None known.
Date prepared:	June 17, 2021
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