Species Spotlight: Cherry-faced Meadowhawk

The Cherry-faced Meadowhawk looks pretty much as its name implies—it's a meadowhawk with a red face. Here's a look at one:



Like all meadowhawks but one, the Cherry-faced Meadowhawk is red in overall color. In addition, it has a black "sawtooth" stripe along the side of the abdomen, very much like the abdomen stripe seen in White-faced Meadowhawks. Here's a better look at the side stripe on the abdomen:



Just looking at the side stripe—along with the solid red thorax and clear wings—and you might think you had a White-faced Meadowhawk, which is considerably more common. You would then need to check the face color to make the final call.

We generally see the Cherry-faced Meadowhawk a couple times a year at Beaver Pond in Winthrop, WA. We haven't seen it in Anacortes, WA.