Outside My Kitchen Window

 

If you live in North America, chances are you might live near a Cooper’s Hawk. You might be lucky enough to spot a Cooper’s Hawk darting through trees in search of prey, or you might see one perched…

Size, Shape and Color

The Cooper’s Hawk is a medium-sized raptor, between 14 to 20 inches long from beak to tail, roughly the size of a rolling pin. They’re a similar size to a crow and can be found year-round. Adults have a large head with a crown that can look black in certain lights. Their backs are gray/blue with a white underside, while their chests have horizontally streaked rufous bars.

Their long tail has three black bands, while the outer tail feathers are shorter than the rest, giving the tail a slightly rounded appearance. Apart from size and a few other characteristics, this long tail can really help distinguish the Cooper’s Hawk from the Sharp-shinned Hawk, another common American bird of prey.

Distribution

The Cooper’s Hawk is wide-spread across the United States, favoring wild deciduous forests, but is also found in suburban and urban areas. Cooper’s Hawk can be found across the states and they are the most common accipiter in the USA.

Cooper's Hawk Male and Female

Males and females look very similar, but females are about one-third larger than males. This size difference is not always noticeable in the field. To tell them apart, remember that adult females can have more orange on their cheeks than the males. (They put on a little bit of blush!)

Immature and juvenile birds are brown above with thin brown vertical streaks stretching from just below their neck to stomach. Cooper’s Hawk have bright yellow eyes when they’re young and as they grow older, their eyes turn orange, then red.

Flight

In flight, Cooper’s Hawks exhibit a flap-flap-glide pattern, typical of accipiters. Even when crossing expansive open areas, they rarely flap continuously when hunting. During the breeding season, adults often fly with flared undertail coverts (American Goshawks also do this too).

Diet

When targeting their prey of small birds, they fly fast and low to the ground, then up and over an obstruction to surprise their target on the other side. In addition to a diet of small birds, this species also feeds on small mammals like squirrels and chipmunks (if they can catch them!). 

As male Cooper’s Hawk are slightly smaller, their prey is predominantly smaller birds and small mammals. As the females are much larger, they can take down larger prey, like Mourning Dove and Pigeons.

Vocalizations

The vocalizations of Cooper’s Hawk are unique. Learning their suite of calls will allow you to be aware of the bird’s presence even when they are feeling a little shy. They are often heard giving a rapid series of “kek, kek, kek, kek”. To listen to the call of the Cooper’s Hawk, find this in Birda’s Species Guide

You might be looking for Cooper’s Hawks near you, and the best place to find out is by heading to the Birda app. If you’re looking for a great app to begin and track your birdwatching journey, Birda might be just for you. Join challenges, earn badges, post sessions and connect with other birders. Find out more about the Birda app. […].

https://birda.org/coopers-hawk-identification/