Identification Tips: Length: 8.5 inches Wingspan: 21 inches Short, dark, hooked beak Small, long-tailed hawk Long, narrow, pointed wings Gray crown White cheeks Two black mustache marks Black spot at rear of crown on both sides Seen from below, flight feathers are pale with dark barring Juveniles and immature females like adult female Adult male: Rust patch on crown Rust nape, breast, back and tail Rust tail has a broad black subterminal band and a narrow white terminal band Pale belly Blue-gray wing coverts Dark flight feathers with pale subterminal spots creating a "string of pearls" Black spots on scapulars, wing coverts and flanks Adult female: Pale buff breast streaked with brown Rust-brown nape, back and wing coverts Back and wing coverts barred heavily with black Rust-brown tail with numerous dark bars of even width and a narrow white terminal band Immature male: Barred rust-brown back barred heavily with black Streaked breast Similar species: Sharp-shinned Hawk is of similar size, but has rounded wings and much different patterning. Merlin is larger with broader-based wings, lacks rust tones to back and wing coverts, has a single mustache mark and strongly checkered underwings.