Hawks in Flight: The Flight Identification of North American Migrant Raptors

This is possibly the best reference on hawk identification for North America. The authors have drawn on a large number of contributors to get things correct and included. The three main authors are all top in their fields. Drawings and photos are the very best and show the birds in characteristic attitudes.

The techniques recommended by the authors for identifying hawks involves an array of inputs.
The authors mention that this holistic approach is an evolution from the Peterson era of plumage-emphasized method.

It appears that learning this superior approach will not be a quick or easy endevour but will take years of usage to apply well, but still, looks to be superior.

I have rated this reference a 4 out of five for one reason;
It is far show more too large to carry on each outing and far too complex to look up a questionable bird quickly. Information is mostly in the form of text, not just photos or tables that can be thumbed through quickly while the bird is in view. Granted the hawk types are on color-coded pages. Still, much important information can be conveyed mostly just by reading the text descriptions of the candidate species. Even the book's weight is too heavy to tote around. To me, this is an evening reference for the home, after arriving back from a birding trip, which may be too late to use its suggestions for differentiating somewhat similar hawks.

Perhaps this heavy reference could be used most effectively on a hawk watch as there the size and weight would not be a problem.
Probably the best method for learning the hawks is to go to a hawk watch and listen to the expert mentor's explanation of why a target bird is what it is. He or she will describe the mannerisms that identify it. Then you can open this book and read those mannerisms and ask about any that were not present or other mannerisms that looked present but do not fit the identification. This combination of mentor and reference book would be the quickest and best way to learn hawks in my mind, and this is the book to bring for that. show less

The book that really compiled years of hawkwatchers' sage advice and identification tips. A must read for a beginner and intermediate hawkwatcher. Once the "gestalt" is nailed down, you can move on to any of the several other more recent hawk guides. Unlike HAWKS IN FLIGHT these other books emphasize molt and plumage characteristics. That's a big help for the remaining 2% or so of other ID challenges. This book will handle the first 98%. Enjoy Pete Dunne's humor and wit.

A terrific guide on the finer points of IDing hawks in the wild, and in the way they're most often seen - far above head, in flight. Sometimes it's still a challenge, but this book helped me a lot in getting to know what to look for when IDing these sometimes difficult birds.

NA

Hawks - probably the most popular birds among birders - are notoriously difficult to identify using the traditional field-mark method. Hawks in Flight show how to recognize hawks the way we often recognize our friends at a distance: by their general body shape, the way they move, and the places they are most likely to be seen. Pete Dunne's clear, lively text brings to life each species' distinctive characteristics , and their visual essence is captures in David Sibley's elegant drawings and Clay Sutton's photographs.