Help identifying a bird...Alan?
 

Saw this hawk in my Perth neighborhood today...wondering if someone could help me identify it?

http://www.worldisround.com/articles/372374/index.html

I think it is a beautiful hawk or maybe kite. As I'm sure you have, I have looked in my bird book but can't clearly identify it. Look forward to seeing what it is as it is an elegant-looking bird.

Just bumping this up as I too am curious what the bird might be.

Thanks for Bumping dolly as I have not been visiting this forum due to time restraints.

It is a Little Eagle. One can tell this from the feathered legs. Kites have unfeathered legs.

Had a great night spotlighting with some American college students despite the rain. Six species of arboreal mammal plus bandicoots.

Thank you Alan!

and thanks from me, too.

I haven't been here for awhile and just popped in to see what might be happening. And look! A bird post :-)

Saw some red-tailed black cockatoos today while hiking in the Perth Hills. Don't remember ever seeing so many in one place. We felt like we were in a scene from The Birds!

I've been spending too much time on Facebook...I just found myself looking for a "Like" button for your post Melnq8.

More bird news: there is still a Channel-billed Cuckoo on Magnetic Island. This is very late in the season. Saw about 170 species with Columbus State Uni students in the last week. Of course I saw and heard a lot more and it was not a birding trip but that is not a bad start for their Australian lists.

Highlight though was the catching of a fresh water moray eel. It almost got away by backing out of a large plastic bag held by one of the faculty. That is it was able to force its way through the hand which held the bag with almost a gallon (or really a gallon if one is using those little American ones) of water. Very strong little fellow and very pretty. I bet the aquarium trade will be after them. They have much flatter teeth then regular moray eels.

Cool looking bird Alan. While not a birding trip, those students got quite a lot didn't they? Will have to look up the fresh water moray eel.

The big news of our annual spring migration trip was the presence of a tropical mocking bird. They are definitely NOT supposed to be in Texas. There is some controversy and so we await the ruling of the ABA as to whether it will be accepted as an "official" bird in Texas.

Steve caught it on video mating with one of the local mockingbirds, and it was then nesting after, so there may be some hybrids!

Thanks, Toucan2. Maybe we could start a club of Fodorites who have national firsts to their name.

If you happen to know of a bird geneticist who is looking for projects for students we have a few here. I am sure they would lead to the naming of new species.

As to the eel, have a look here as most species if not all sold as such by pet shops are not freshwater dwellers and will die if kept there for any length of time. This eel will be in demand as they are so good looking. it may well get the name of rainforest moray for as far as the researcher can ascertain they all occur in rainforest streams in the south-west pacific region. http://australianmuseum.net.au/Moray-Eels

Look at Gymnothorax polyuranodon, the last three pictures on the top line.

Cool looking eel.

I don't know any bird geneticists but our friend John may. I'll mention it to him.