Cooper's hawk (Accipiter cooperii)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONFIRMATION STATUS: Confirmed.

 

IDENTIFICATION:

• Length: 15.5 inches Wingspan: 28 inches

• Sexes similar, but females much larger

• Medium-sized, broad-winged, long-tailed hawk

• Short, dark, hooked beak

• Long, thick tarsi appear short at rest because they are usually covered              by belly feathers

• Short, rounded wings

• Very long tail is rounded at tip

• Often flies with several quick wingbeats and a short glide, but also              soars

• Large angular head projects far beyond wings when soaring

Adult:

• Red eye

• Black cap

• Blue-gray back and upperwings

• White breast, belly and underwing coverts marked by fine, thin, redd-             ish bars

• White undertail coverts

• Tail, blue gray above and pale below, barred with black bands

• Flight feathers, blue-gray above and pale below, with dark bars

Immature:

• Yellow eye

• Brown head with indistinct pale supercilium

• Brown cap, nape, back, and upperwings

• White underparts marked by thin black streaks, concentrated on                  chest

• Tail, brown above and pale below, barred with dark bands

• White terminal band

Similar species:

Immature northern goshawks are similar in shape and patterning to
immature Cooper's hawks, but are larger, with proportionately shorter
tails, bulkier bodies and thicker black streaking extending all the way to
the undertail coverts. Sharp-shinned hawks are typically smaller, with
shorter, squared-off tails and shorter heads that do not project as far
when flying. Immature sharp-shinneds have thicker, denser streaking
that extends farther down the belly and a thinner terminal band of white.
Adults have less well-defined caps. Immature red-shouldered hawks
have pale crescents in the wing and shorter tails.

 

LIFE HISTORY

Migration Status: Short distance migrant
Breeding Habitat: Woodland
Nest Location: N/A
Nest Type: N/A
Clutch Size: 4-5
Length of Incubation: 32-36 days
Days to Fledge: 27-34
Number of Broods: 1?
Diet: Primarily birds; lesser quantities of small mammals

 

SKY MEADOWS DISTRIBUTION/SEASONAL OCCURRENCE

 

Relative abundance and seasonal occurrence are indicated in red below.

 

Relative abundance
     C - Common: Likely to be present in good numbers in appropriate habitat and season.
     U - Uncommon: May be present in appropriate habitat and season, often in low
            numbers.
     O - Occassional: Found in appropriate habitat perhaps only a few times per season,
            sometimes low numbers.
     R - Rare: May not be recorded every year.
     Acc - Accidental: Recorded once or twice, may not be expected again for a long time.

 

Seasonal Occurrence
      Sp - Spring: March, April, May R
      Su - Summer: June, July, August R
      Fall: September, October, November C

      Winter: December, January, February R

 

 

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