Juvenile, but what?
I apologize for lack of sharpness but this was best pose for ID - anybody know - Juvi Cooper's or Northern Goshawk? Or something else? I'm thinking Cooper's from head pattern, but tail (especially tip) is more serrated looking like Sibley's Juvi Northern Goshawk illustration.
Time is early October. Location is Central Arizona, NE of Phoenix so both species are present year-round according to Sibley.
Thanks,
Nathan
I vote for a juv. Cooper's hawk. there is a photo in Field Guide To Birds- Western Region, by Donald Stokes that matches your image.
This is a juv. Cooper's Hawk.
The markings on the center of the breast and belly are fine, not heavy, course, and almost tear drop shaped. There is something with the number and/or position of the tail bands (I believe it's in Hawks in Flight) but I can't recall it and I don't have access to my library right now. Per the help I received on a previous Cooper's on this forum, the outer tail feathers are rounded at the corners which is right for Cooper's. And if I recall correctly, Northern Goshawk also tends to have more streaking on the undertail coverts which are clean on your bird.
The leading edge of the wing is very straight and the trailing edge only bulges a little, which is perfect for Cooper's. The bird is also fairly trim in the body. Northern Goshawk has a big body, curved leading edge, and a big bulge in the secondaries. To put the bulk and heavy winged look into perspective, I've seen them misidentified as Red-shouldered and even Red-tailed Hawk, and have struggled backwards into the correct ID by starting out at one of those birds. There's a great comparison shot in Hawks in Flight that shows how much a Goshawk can resemble a buteo.
While looking at some web images for this reply, I found a killer tool for ID of hawks in flight. There is a hawks in flight comparison tool over at VirtualBirder. Just pick the two birds you want and you can see them side by side. If you want to hone your ID skills on other birds, the have a neat feature called OnLocation you can get to from their home page.
Paul, how do you reconcile the eye colour of this bird?
I don't think that the photo shows the eye color at all. If you're thinking that the bird actually has a dark iris, I would disagree that this can be determined in this photo.
Paul, the eye looks dark to me. The cere is showing as a light colour as should the eye if it is a juvenile coops.Originally Posted by Paul Guris
For what it's worth, I agree with Paul. I do not believe you can discern the eye color from this photo. Regardless, it is clearly a Cooper's Hawk for all of the other reasons mentioned.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote