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Help identifing a bird

19 years ago

At our house in the lakes regions of New Hampshire we have seen a large bird - with dark feathers, and a white shaggy feathers with red trim on its head. This bird has a very large beak that looks similar to those on a hawk or eagle and has very large talons. It sits on the beach (for hours) and sometimes walks slowly. Ducks stay in the water - but don't come to shore (as they normally do when this bird is not standing watch on the beach). It has a very large wing span (at least 3 ft/ maybe more) (I didn't get that close to measure)

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Comments (3)

rosespetal
19 years ago
Would it be a Vulture?

Here is a link that might be useful: Turkey Vulture
DaveOdd
19 years ago
Sound like a Turket Vulture to me too.
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Jud_in_Alabama
19 years ago
I haven't seen any turkey vultures with white on the head. The description sounds like a crested caracara; if so, that is probably a first state record for NH, since their normal range is south Florida and south Texas.

A bird that is much more likely to be in New Hampshire is osprey, a fish-eating eagle. It doesn't have any red on it normally, however. Could the red be blood?

Neither bird should be just walking or sitting on the beach for hours. This makes me suspect you are looking at an injured osprey. If you can ascertain that this is the case, it would be good to find a wildlife rehabber who could capture and rehab the bird.

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