Could it be an unusually dark-feathered red-shoulder?

The 2-toned bill and dark eyes are red-shoulder features ...

They are called "melanistic" when it's unusually dark for the species. We have a few red-tails around there that are almost chocolate colored.

Here is a link that might be useful: Look at bill and eyes

I suggest visiting Cornell Lab of Ornithology's "All about Birds" webpage. You can listen to the calls of hawks (since you got to hear this suspicious bird's call). That might be the key to IDing this bird.

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-tailed_Hawk/id

The most educated answer I can give is that this is a dark morph red-tailed hawk. Its bill is just too broad to be a red-shouldered hawk (and I have not known red-shouldered hawks plumage to vary that considerably, as red-tailed hawks are known to do). Now the fact that you're in Florida is interesting since dark-morph red-tailed hawks are more known to occur in the Plains and western U.S.(see Harlan's hawks and western red-tailed hawks for images). So, unless this is a falconry bird that escaped, this is probably a rare bird to find in Florida. Would love to hear the opinion of a birding expert.

This post was edited by TMFF on Mon, Jan 28, 13 at 22:31

I completely hosed this one. I realize this is an old thread and the original poster may not see this, but for anyone else interested, I have an another answer.

Short-tailed hawk, dark-morph.

http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/991/_/Short-tailed_Hawk.aspx

This species only occurs in central/south Florida in the US, occasionally in s. TX.

My understanding is they are shy birds which makes this photo interesting, but it is definitely possible that is what this is (it's worth mentioning). I can't see the tail well enough to tell either way. Its behavior is peculiar for a hawk, period.

TMFF, I just found this and thought the same!

elly,

I am almost inclined to say that this bird is some falconry escapee. It is so odd that it allowed the original poster to stand directly under it! The hawks that have a dark morph such as this aren't backyard hawks and I'd expect them to flush easily, as has been my experience. And I read that Short-tailed are downright elusive.

What do you think?

Not sure if ST hawks are used in falconry. Maybe a rehabber recently released it and it is acclimated to humans? Not a good thing!

Besides being elusive, I just read they are almost always airborne and rarely seen perched!

Really beautiful bird, lucky sighting and lucky for us to see the image!

Here is a link that might be useful: STHA