Oh look, it's the Crested Caracara, known colloquially as the Mexican eagle (but NOT the national bird of Mexico, no sirree, that's the Golden Eagle or some actual eagle). This here bird is a falcon kinda raptor, and they have them down where Lee's dad lives. I thought they were ospreys, which they strongly resemble when sitting.
I am always excited when I see a new kind of bird, so I thought I'd post this one! Taxonomizing is my mind's favorite activity, apparently, and it was fun to see how it worked when I thought I had fit the bird into my neat little "osprey" category, then got the idea that maybe I was wrong (someone mentioned Mexican eagles in conversation). I had to run home and look it up in my bird book--and sure enough, the osprey's underwings are all white. BZZZT, failed taxonomy. I am all calm now, though, since I have a nice category of raptors with white wing tips whose wings are not shaped like buzzard wings. Go me.
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