We have about 5 birding books in the office, as we overlook a wooded patch, and we have binoculars in the office and have lots of fun spotting and identifying new visitors. The books have full-color photos that allow us to exactly identify each bird, and whether or not they are male/female.
This one appears to be a male, as it is on the smallish side. The red tail can only be seen from above.
We keep several birdfeeders full all year long for our viewing pleasure.
BTW - I was an avian enthusiast for 30 years before becoming a cat slave.
Red-Tailed Hawks are native to New England. Falcons are not.
Several species of raptor do closely resemble each other, but please remember, you are only looking at a poorly taken photo here. I've seen this bird up close through binoculars, from less than 50 feet away physically.
But hey - call it what you want, the bottom line is, it's a really cool Red-Tailed Hawk that ate a Bluejay while I watched.
That is true. Its not a good photo. One big difference (when he flys) is whether the wings are more rounded and wide or narrow and pointed. Hawks have a wider/rounded wing feathers
We had a pair of RT's in our backyard in the country. Was cool to watch them survey for food from the one "hawk tree". You'd see them sitting up there high and all of a sudden take off - usually for rabbits.
I've always been partial to them. My granny had one as a pet for the longest time. They live for YEARS! He loved cheetos. I know, they are illegal to keep as pets technically, my granny is from Italy and it's legal there, so she brought him to the US with her.