I am pretty sure this is a Red-tailed Hawk I saw flying over the Fern Ridge Wildlife Area. It is true that they are birds of prey but I still think they are beautiful and graceful in flight.

When I was young, I think we probably called any hawk we saw a "chicken hawk." I didn't realize the official classifications and varieties of hawks. Interestingly, WIKIPEDIA says, "Red-tailed hawk. The red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) is a bird of prey, one of three species colloquially known in the United States as the "chickenhawk," though it rarely preys on standard-sized chickens." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-tailed_Hawk0