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I often get asked to identify local birds, especially raptors, in absentia: “I saw a big dark bird last week in a tree near my house, and it wasn’t a raven, so what was it?” is the typical sort of question. Most of the time, the unknown bird was an example of our most common and widespread bird of prey — the Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis). There is a simple reason why Redtails are so frequently the source of confusion: they show more variation in plumage than any other raptor, and possibly any other bird of any kind in North America. They range from very pale individuals (even white, in the case of rare albinos) to very dark chocolate brown birds, with many gradients in between. The typical Redtail seen perched atop a power pole or oak tree, waiting for a small mammal to appear, is a large bird (20 inches tall with a 4-foot wingspan) with a dark hood, light chest, streaked belly and dark wings with mottled light markings and highlights. In...

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Welcome to the Tehachapi News, your local source for news and events affecting the residents and businesses in Tehachapi. The Tehachapi News is published every Wednesday, and available through home delivery and at rack locations throughout the area. Post Something! Register Now