#buteo jamaicensis
The extremes of red-tailed hawk color morphs. White to very, very dark. Both are the same species, Buteo jamaicensis.
The bird on the left has an extreme lack of melanin production and the bird on the right over-produces melanin. Melanin is produced by cells called melanocytes, which also produce pheomelanin, which results in a reddish-brown color. Note that the bird on the left has a red tint to her tail even though her melanocytes aren’t functioning normally, this could be due to porphyrins and/or carotenoids contributing to the red color in red-tailed hawk tails as well.
Both birds still exhibit the common trait of being total derps (as demonstrated in the third set of photos).
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Red-tailed hawk / CAS-ORN 92406
Scientific name: Buteo jamaicensis
Higher Geography: North America
Department:Ornithology & Mammalogy, image©California Academy of Sciences
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Red-tailed hawk across from our apartment (January 2018)
Was breastfeeding the newborn and saw a really big bird hopping on the fire escape of the building across E. 89th St. Hubby got this photo of the hawk after it had finished eating what looked like a pigeon.
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