bird of prey (pic)

[Chupacabra Hunter]

Went to the ranch today. Near one of the feeders, on top of a big mesquite tree, I saw this bird of prey.. Help me ID it.... It looked like an eagle but could not be sure. It had a large wingspan. Can anyone tell if its a hawk, eagle, or something else? Sorry for the bad pic, all I had was the camera on my phone...and I had to use the camera's zoom to get a closer look.
The ranch is near Benavides Texas in South Texas.

 

[Dawico]

I'd have to guess a hawk.

 

[TexasRedneck]

Looks kinda like a Mexican Hawk....(not bein' a smart-ass here....)

 

[Texas1911]

Looks like a hawk.

Birds like that are awesome.

 

[Glockster69]

Hummingbird Giganticus?

 

[Glockster69]

nevermore...

I was framed I tell ya

 

[Chupacabra Hunter]

Looks kinda like a Mexican Hawk....(not bein' a smart-ass here....)

Thanks for the info..... many more types of birds at the ranch... cardinals, green jays, dove, quail, road-runners,etc... I enjoy watching them from the blind when nothing else is moving....I could see now why bird-watching is popular with the old folks.....

 

[Chupacabra Hunter]

Looks like a hawk.

Birds like that are awesome.

they sure are.... they hang around this perticular feeder because they use the tall mesquite tree to survey their prey... one of the other hunters saw one of these swoop down the sendero, level its flight and with precision timing snatch a rabbit. pretty cool!

 

[matefrio]

Harris Hawk most likely.

 

[indpendnt]

Harris Hawk would be about right for where you're at but there's a possibility that it could be a Golden Eagle.
It's a little south of thier normal wintering range but it's not that unusual to see eagles outside thier typical range nowdays.
A better close-up pic would be nice.

 

[matefrio]

Did it land in a prickly pear cactus patch and start eating a snake?

 

[ZX9RCAM]

Harris Hawk most likely.

Gets my vote....

 

[Chupacabra Hunter]

Harris Hawk would be about right for where you're at but there's a possibility that it could be a Golden Eagle.
It's a little south of thier normal wintering range but it's not that unusual to see eagles outside thier typical range nowdays.



A better close-up pic would be nice.

I know about a better pic..... I need to look for an inexpensive digital camera, my SLR is a dinosaur. All I had was my phone and I had to use the zoom. I looked online for pics of Harris Hawks and Mexican Hawks, (aka Cooper's Hawk, Chicken Hawk, and others). You might be right about it being a Golden Eagle. It was a large bird of prey. Here are some online searches of Harris Hawks.

 

[Chupacabra Hunter]

Did it land in a prickly pear cactus patch and start eating a snake?

That would have been very cool to see...... I would say that would be a once in a lifetime to witness.... the Aztecs believed it to be a good omen....