Hawk ID please

[Bee Emily]

This was taken on 12/30/07 near my home in Western Massachusetts USA near my bird feeders and farm fields.
Is it a Coopers?

[Dan Brown]

Hi Bee. I think this is an juvenile Cooper's Hawk. The accipiters are very difficult to ID, but your photo shows a pretty wide white terminal tail band, long looking neck and slender body which are good indicators of Cooper's versus Sharp-shinned or Goshawk. The streaking on the breast and belly indicate a juvenile bird.

[Richard Stern]

I agree. Another couple of pointers are that the streaking on the breast is very fine, while that on the Sharpie tends to be coarser and more blotchy. Also, the outer tail feathers are shorter than the central ones, giving the tail tip a bit of a curved look (although in this bird it's not as marked as some). The iris of Coopers is said to be more straw-colored, while Sharpie tend to be a brighter yellow. All these remarks apply to juvenile-plumaged birds such as this one.

On the various different ID related blogs, groups etc., the distinction between juv. Coopers and Sharpie comes up again and again, probably second only to arcane discussions about Gulls, and it can indeed be very difficult.

Richard

[Bee Emily]

Richard and Dan,
Thanks for the ID. This was the first Cooper's Hawk I had ever seen so it was pretty cool!

[John Chardine]

Bee- The other candidate is a Goshawk but compare with this Goshawk I posted recently and you'll see the differences in the streaking etc.

http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php?t=22783

[Julie Kenward]

Bee, another marker is the yellow pupil...I've been told that indicates that they are still a juvenile. I believe it turns a bright red when they mature.

[Richard Stern]

Hi,

True, but that change occurs in Sharpie, Coopers and Goshawk - so although it helps in aging the bird, it doesn't help in distinguishing the species. However, like shorebirds and gulls, once you have decided the bird's age, the other field marks fall into place more logically.

Richard