Field Marks: 23 in. A large, fish-eating hawk, usually seen along seacoasts, lakes, and rivers. Widespread; fairly common along coasts, local inland. Easily identified in flight by white underparts; long wings with conspicuous bend at wrist; black wrist patches on underwing. Feeds almost exclusively on fish, hovering over water, then diving, talons-first. Like Bald Eagle, formerly much more common in lower 48 states; now recovering in some areas. Adult males brown above with shaggy, mostly white head; brown eye stripe; white underparts. Females very similar, with scattered dark feathers across upper breast; in flight,tail and flight feathers barred brown and white below, wing linings white with black wrist patches. Immature similar; edged buff above, slightly buffy below. Typically a series of sharp whistles, the last drawn-out.
Range: Breeds from nw. Alaska across Canada south to Baja California and the Gulf Coast. Winters in s. United States and south to Argentina.
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