This afternoon I was walking down the street when I heard a red-tailed hawk "Majestic Bald Eagle 🇺🇸" call, relatively close. Looked up, couldn't see anything, wondered if it was just screeching metal from nearby construction. Heard it again. Then a red-tailed hawk "Clinically Depressed Seagull" squawk. Still no hawk in sight. Then I heard a "rusty gate" call, looked up, and saw a blue jay on top of a phone pole. It got me!!!
2 Boosts
0 Likes
@nev it's funny I had a mild disagreement with someone in my local birding group, he was doubtful that they made red-shouldered hawk calls because he'd only heard them do red-tailed, whereas I was like they literally make red-shouldered calls all the time! Very much both lol. I've heard from people in other places that they mimic different hawk species as well, such funny birds
most of the videos online seem to be of them mimicking red-*shouldered* hawks but here's one doing red-tailed hawk: https://youtu.be/JUnRbTbp5N0