A friend sent us a picture of a massive hawk overhead. It was taken in the American West, and even though field marks can be hard to pin down, we’re calling this a Ferruginous Hawk.

Another contender would be a Red-tailed Hawk, but there’s no hint of red on this guy’s tail. Not that there needs to be. That’s what makes hawk identification a variation-rich challenge.

It’s not exactly iron-colored (ferruginous) either, but according to our best guess about all this, we’re stubbornly going with Ferruginous Hawk.

Maybe it’s because we like that name. And even if we’re wrong today, it represents a symbol we used in a story written long ago.

It was named after this bird, and we included it in our “Stories” section because we like to ofer more to read than just our “Daily Sightings,”  although they’re the meat and potatoes.

So we invite you to check out the Stories section, and also get into the Ferruginous Hawk, if you haven’t already.

Today, more than ever, it’s a cautionary tale. Flying with an unforgettable wingspan over a world of too many cautionary tales.

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