Cooper's Hawk

The Cooper's Hawk is a medium-sized accipiter built for high-speed pursuit through trees and brush, adept at ambushing other birds. Adults have a blue-gray back, fine rufous barring on the breast, and piercing red eyes; juveniles are brown above with coarse brown streaking on a whitish breast and pale yellow eyes.

Once primarily a forest species, Cooper's Hawks have adapted remarkably well to suburban and urban environments, where they commonly hunt songbirds visiting backyard feeders.

Key field marks

• Rounded tail with a broad white terminal band
• Adult: blue-gray back, rufous-barred underparts, red eyes
• Juvenile: brown above, coarse brown streaks on white breast, yellow eyes
• Relatively large, blocky head that projects noticeably forward in flight
• Flight style: several quick flaps followed by a glide

Similar species

Sharp-shinned Hawk is smaller and daintier, with a smaller head that barely projects past the wrist in flight, a squared or notched (not rounded) tail tip, and thinner legs; the two species are notoriously difficult to separate, especially at a distance or in flight. Northern Goshawk is much larger and bulkier with a bold pale eyebrow stripe.

Habitat

Historically a bird of mature forest and woodland edge, Cooper's Hawk has increasingly colonized suburban neighborhoods and urban parks with mature trees, especially where bird feeders provide reliable prey.

Range

Breeds across most of the United States, southern Canada, and Mexico. Northern populations migrate south in winter, while many populations in temperate and southern regions are year-round residents, including an increasing number of urban breeders.

Behavior

A stealthy ambush hunter, Cooper's Hawk uses cover to approach prey unseen, then bursts out in a fast, agile chase, sometimes pursuing birds on foot through dense brush or even into water.

Voice

The alarm call is a fast, sharp "cack-cack-cack-cack," given near the nest; otherwise generally quiet away from the breeding season.

Feeding and nesting

Feeds mainly on medium-sized birds (robins, doves, jays) along with some small mammals such as chipmunks. Builds a bulky stick nest in a tree, often in a fork or on a horizontal branch, typically in denser cover than many other hawks choose.