- Accipiter cooperii
Identification
Length 14-20" (36-51 cm), wingspan 28" (71 cm)
A crow-sized hawk with long tail, short rounded wings, and tail tip rounded, not squared-off.
The Adult is slate-gray above, with a dark cap and finely rust-barred below.
The immature is brown above, whitish below with fine streaks. Cooper's Hawks mature rapidly for birds their size; a full 25 percent of young birds breed the year after they are hatched, and the rest the year after that.
Similar species
Most similar to Sharp-shinned Hawk, but larger on average, with more rounded tail rather than notched or straight.
In flight, the wings are brought forward with Sharp-shinned, but extend straight out with Cooper's. The head shape is different, with Cooper's having a longer, more "blocky" head. Also similar to Northern Goshawk, especially immature birds.
Distribution
Breeds from British Columbia east to Manitoba and Canadian Maritimes, and south to Mexico, Gulf Coast, and northern Florida; absent or local throughout much of Great Plains.
Winters from Central America north to British Columbia and southern New England.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Habitat
Deciduous and, less often, coniferous forests, especially those interrupted by meadows and clearings.
Behaviour
Diet
Feeds mainly on birds, which it chases relentlessly through the woods. It also takes small mammals and, in the West, lizards and snakes.
Breeding
4 or 5 dull-white eggs, spotted with brown, on a bulky platform of sticks and twigs, usually more than 20' (6 m) above the ground.
During incubation and the early stages of brooding the young, the male bird does all the hunting, bringing food to both his mate and the nestlings.
Vocalisation
Loud cack-cack-cack-cack, a little bit lower than the Sharp-shinned Hawk.
References
- Clements, JF. 2010. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2010. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/Clements%206.5.xls/view
- Article concerning wing length and weight of Cooper's Hawks
- A thread discussing separation from Sharp-shinned Hawk
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Cooper's Hawk. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 3 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Cooper%27s_Hawk
External Links
Originally posted by talon_dfa
