- Accipiter cooperii
Identification
L. 14-20" (36-51 cm).
W. 28" (71 cm).
- Crow-sized hawk
- Long tail
- Short rounded wings
- Tail tip rounded, not squared-off
Adult
- Slate-gray above, with
- Dark cap, and
- Finely rust-barred below.
Immature
- Brown above
- Whitish below with fine streaks
Similar species
Most similar to Sharp-shinned Hawk. Tail more rounded, 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.
Habitat
Deciduous and, less often, coniferous forests, especially those interrupted by meadows and clearings.
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
Kingdom: Animalia-> Phylum: Chordata-> Class: Aves -> Order: Falconiformes-> Family: Accipitridae-> Genus: Accipiter-> Species: A. cooperii
Behavior
Diet
Like its smaller look-alike the Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's 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.
Voice
Loud cack-cack-cack-cack, a little bit lower than Sharp-shinned.
Discussion
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.
Here is a thread discussing separation from Sharp-shinned Hawk. [[1]]
Wing & weight of Cooper's Hawks
Here is link with Cooper's Hawk data.. http://www.birdwatching-bliss.com/coopers-hawk.html
Originally posted by talon_dfa
