Cooper's Hawk Bird ID

by Darren
(League City, Texas, USA)

Q: What species is this? Photographed in League City, Texas in early February after eating a sparrow on my suburban fence near a bird feeder.

A: This is a Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii), of the Accipiter subfamily, Accipitrinae. Cooper's Hawks are about the size of a crow, from 14-20" in size, the females are typically larger than the males. The only other bird this can be confused with is a Sharp-shinned Hawk, but they are
smaller, more like a big Robin in size. Although it sometimes may be difficult to distinguish between a female Sharpy and a male Coop because the size difference isn't as obvious.

Based on the comparative size of fencing and the larger looking head of the bird in your photo, we believe it is a Coop rather than a Sharpy. The head of a Cooper's hawk will also appear to be flattened on top and they have sort of a "mean" look to them made from the superorbital ridge above the eye.

Colors are hard to see in photos, but the white spots and brownish coloring
instead of slate-gray adult plumage on the back of the bird would indicate a
juvenile or second year bird. The eye color looks more yellowish than orange or
red which also is a juvenile characteristic. The breast feathers appear to be
orange in color which is more of an adult characteristic. Juveniles will have
brown streaks on the breast whereas adults will have rusty barring. This is why
we think this bird is in its second year rather than first, which makes sense
since it was February when you took the photo. As you witnessed, these birds prey on small birds and often bird feeding stations present an opportunistic advantage to them.

Cooper's Hawk, Second-Year Plumage

Here is some good close-up footage of an adult Cooper's Hawk:



Cooper's Hawk Identification

Cooper's Hawk Pictures

Sharp-shinned Hawk ID

Accipiters