Florida bird of prey

[Cookiely]

Anyone here a bird expert? I saw a bird in our yard I had never seen before this week. He was very large like a hawk or falcon, small elegant chiseled head, very pale golden belly, and the feathers were black with blue. I went to try and get a better look but he started this extremely high pitched screeching sound, and frankly I got scared and ran for the porch. Shortly after he flew away. I saw him again today briefly flying past the window. That is one big bird. I've googled my fingers off but haven't found anything remotely resembling him.

[JonathanBelles]

ive seen bald eagles, ducks, geese (now coming south), hawks and other eagles. other than that i dont know.

[Lindaloo]

It was a hawk. Did it look like this?

[Lindaloo]

[Lindaloo]

Or it could have been an Osprey. They are huge birds that are very high pitched if they feel threatened.

[Cookiely]

[Cookiely]

I saw images of the red shouldered hawk and osprey but they weren't the bird I saw.

[Lindaloo]

Then you were perfectly allowed to run to your porch. lol. Because I would have been scared too.

[petal*pusher]

Hmmm....an eagle does not have white feathers on head or tail until they are 5 years old....but, you say it was more the size of a hawk?

Both an eagle and a hawk do make that high pitched screaching sound. Perhaps the "blue" feathers were a reflection...sometimes this does happen!......p



(p.s......try googling "juvenile florida eagle"....several photos will come up)

[JenBayles]

Try googling on "falcon" or "gyrfalcon" as well.

[azsnowman]

It sounds like a hawk to me....we have SOOOOOOOOOO many of them up here at this elevation, our field mice problem this time of year goes away thanks to them!

[weathermom]

Swainson's hawk dark morph?