This guy / gal didn’t want to hang around for pictures but in its haste to depart, it gave us a great look at that nearly 5-foot wingspan and its gorgeous rust and white colored plumage.
These massive hawks can be found year-round here in Colorado although they are most often seen during the winter. Usually, you will spot them staking out a prairie dog colony, waiting on some poor, unsuspecting rodent to stick its head out at the wrong moment. They are the largest hawk in North America and quite impressive so it is perhaps fitting that its scientific name is buteo regalis (regal).
