Sharp-shinned Hawk? No picture, 50 miles north of Houston, TX. (1 Viewer)

[littlemarshmallow]

Saw a falcon size bird take off from a tree. At first thought it was a falcon but knew it was a hawk by wing tips. Followed the bird for a while, noted that it was maybe a little bigger or smaller than a Merlin, saw squarish tail, brown back, probably streaks on breast. Can anybody identify this as a Sharp-shinned Hawk by the description?

 

[rkj]

No.

 

[nartreb]

Sharpie is a good guess just based on being a common bird likely to be found in a tree, but the description could easily fit other birds. Besides cooper's hawk, there's merlin and kestrel. (I don't know how long you saw it flying, but wingtip-shape can be misleading.) Then there's juvenile kites (white-tailed should be in range), and, given that everybody misjudges size at least once in a while, there's buteos (e.g., juvenile red-shouldered or broad-winged, on the smaller end).