One of my favorite hawks and the largest buteo in North America. Ferruginous hawks become quite numerous here on the Colorado plains in the winter, outnumbering the common red-tailed hawk in some areas.
They are gorgeous, particularly in flight when you get a nice look at the snow white on the underside of their wings. I think the thing that strikes me most about them is their mouth, that bright yellow gape really stands out and is actually a great way to differentiate them from other hawks.
I spotted this specific ferruginous this past Sunday and while it didn’t want to sit and pose, it did decide to give me a great flyby with those crystal-clear Colorado blue skies behind.
