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THE GARDEN SAGEA library of living things
Wildlife & landscape pests · Western North Carolina field companion

Soaring birds — open identification

Aves; species unresolved

IMG_9120Holly

Wide wings turn above the blue folds of the mountains.

Record
Holly’s observation · Unresolved identification confidence
Open in the illustrated book →

In the landscape.

Plants & places

A wooded mountain overlook; precise locality is absent from the filename.

A sensible first response

Use the clip as an invitation to watch flight shapes; a closer sharp frame could improve the record.

When to look

Observation date not supplied in filename.

Identification

Sampled frames across the video show large, broad-winged birds circling over a wooded mountain view. The closest bird has a small head and splayed primary feathers, suggesting a vulture, but motion, distance and angle do not resolve the decisive wing and tail patterns. Several birds appear; they are not assumed to be the same species.

Lookalikes & limits

Turkey vulture, black vulture and soaring hawks should be compared using underwing pattern, tail length and flight posture. The current record remains open.

In the garden

Part of the wider aerial community above gardens and forests; ecological role depends on the eventual identification.

Your margin of the garden.

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