Bird Guide

Cinereous Vulture vs Harris's Hawk

Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus)

Cinereous Vulture

Aegypius monachus

Huge9.3 kgForest

The cinereous vulture measures 98–120 cm (39–47 in) in total length with a 2.5–3.1 m (8 ft 2 in – 10 ft 2 in) wingspan. Males can weigh from 6.3 to 11.5 kg (14 to 25 lb), whereas females can weigh from 7.5 to 14 kg (17 to 31 lb). It is the largest accipitrid and is thus one of the world's heaviest flying birds. Average weights were long not known to have been published for this species but the median weight figures from two sources were 9.42 kg (20.8 lb) and 9.55 kg (21.1 lb). However in a Korean study, a large survey of wild cinereous vultures was found to have weighed an average of 9.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: Thomas SIGNEAU · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Cristina Villaverde · CC BY 4.0
Harris's Hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus)

Harris's Hawk

Parabuteo unicinctus

Large850 gShrubland

This medium-large hawk is roughly intermediate in size between a peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) and a red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis). Harris's hawks range in length from 46 to 59 cm (18 to 23 in) and generally have a wingspan of about 103 to 120 cm (41 to 47 in). These hawks have a brownish plumage, reddish shoulders, and tail feathers with a white base and white tip. They exhibit sexual dimorphism with the females being larger by about 35%. In the United States, the average weight for adult males is about 701 g (1.545 lb), with a range of 546 to 850 g (1.204 to 1.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: Gabriele Magurno · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Alan Vernon · CC BY 2.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Cinereous Vulture and Harris's Hawk.