Raptor ID please

[Tony Roberts]

New member, first post...this is not the bird I thought I would be feeding at my feeders frequented by
finches, grosbeaks, crossbills, etc. I floundered through my Audubon guides etc and am still confused
over whether:
1. Kestrel
2. Merlin
3. Sharp shinned
or what??? Leaning to female Kestrel

May 7, 2009 Truckee,CA 6500 feet alt.

Canon EOS 50D
Canon EF 100-400 L/IS/USM
340mm@f6.3@1/400sec@ISO400
RAW
taken through a deck window!!

Anyhow, what a great site and forum here...

Tony

[Dan Brown]

Hi Tony and welcome! Nice shot through the glass! This is definately not a kestrel! It is an Accipiter, Sharp-shinned or Cooper's. I am leaning toward Sharpie, but don't ask me why:D (it look petite;))

[Judd Patterson]

The standard backyard feeder hawks, are Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks. For starters, the Merlin and Kestral both have dark eyes. The American Kestrel also has much stronger facial markings.

Now, back to what we have here. Separating the Sharp-shinned and Coopers can be difficult. They are both in the Genus Accipiter and are very closely related. While the Cooper's is generally larger, the female Cooper's and male Sharp-shinned actually overlap in size. There are also differences in the tail feathers, leg size, and a few other characteristics...my gut says Sharp-shinned Hawk, but I'm flexible. :)

[Tony Roberts]

Dan, Thanks for the quick reply. It is petite ~8 inches tall. Frequents my bird feeders (not for seeds) which I found in a description of "Sharpies". You can see it is perching on one leg...the visible leg is fairly thin...also a Sharpie "pointer" vs Cooper's??? Sure does clear out the feeders upon arrival...even the hummers scram...

[Axel Hildebrandt]

I concur, sharp-shinned or cooper's hawk. My best guess is sharp-shinned, too.

[John Chardine]

The standard backyard feeder hawks, are Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks. For starters, the Merlin and Kestral both have dark eyes. The American Kestrel also has much stronger facial markings.

Now, back to what we have here. Separating the Sharp-shinned and Coopers can be difficult. They are both in the Genus Accipiter and are very closely related. While the Cooper's is generally larger, the female Cooper's and male Sharp-shinned actually overlap in size. There are also differences in the tail feathers, leg size, and a few other characteristics...my gut says Sharp-shinned Hawk, but I'm flexible. :)

You meant the reverse right Judd?!!!

We have had many a long discussion here about Coopers and Sharp-shinned. This is probably an adult bird, the red eye being more or less diagnostic. Young birds tend to have yellow or orange eyes. This one sounds like a sharpie from the description.

[Scott Grant]

looks a lot like the Sharpie that cleaned out the House Sparrows from my feeder last fall.

[Judd Patterson]

You meant the reverse right Judd?!!!

Absolutely!!! :o Sorry, I typed the combination wrong. Females are bigger than males, so I meant to say that female Sharp-shinned Hawks overlap with male Cooper's. Thanks for catching my error, John! :)