Most everyone who commented agreed that this is a Cooper’s Hawk. The
different-length tail feathers seem to be the clincher. Some of the other
differences (angle of beak to head ratio, color of nape) do not seem conclusive
to me. It must be a Cooper's male since I was first struck by its smaller size.
According to Jay’s email, the size differences between the species are not
great enough to distinguish a single bird in the field. Another aspect of my
experience is that Cooper’s are less skittish around people and Sharpies are
quick to fly away from the presence of people. This hawk sat clearly in the
open while I was snapping pictures for twenty minutes. thanks for your
responses. Jim
On Jan 14, 2017, at 8:50 AM, Tom Tribble <tntribble@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I don't pretend to be an expert on hawks and frequently struggle with hawk
IDs.
The 3 things I learned (from Marilyn W.) about distinguishing Cooper's from
Sharp-shined are:
1. Tail is more rounded in Cooper's; squared off in Sharp-shined.
2. In Cooper's, the leading edge of the wings (in flight) are straight; with
Sharp-shinned the leading edge is more of a "V" shape. Or if not "V", the
outer edge of the leading edge pushed forward.
3. Head of Cooper's is larger and more proportional; head in Sharp-shined
seems too small for the body.
The first 2 are best used when they are flying, rather than perched.
Anyway, I agree with Jay's more sophisticated analysis. And the head seems
proportional to the body.
Just my 2 cents. I await an expert.
Tom
On Fri, Jan 13, 2017 at 3:18 PM, Jay Wherley <jrw@xxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:jrw@xxxxxxxxxx>> wrote:
I'll take a stab at it - and am happy to learn more if wrong, which won't be
first time! :)
see attached.
Note 3 points described below. (In order of what convinces me).
1) Outer tail feathers shorter than inner. Sharp-shinned would have all tail
feathers approximately same length.
2) Looks like dark head marking is a "cap", and possibly not connected to
nape/neck. (Which a Sharp-shinned would have).
3) Eye closer to beak than center of head. (Sharp-shinned eye looks more like
center of head location)
so I think Coopers.
p.s. Thankful for the great pictures showing all the detail!
Jay Wherley
Asheville
On 1/13/17 2:09 PM, james poling wrote:
I think that this Accipiter is a Sharp-shinned Hawk. It was smaller than my
experience with Cooper's, and has a grayish cap and a narrow white tail
tip. Please help me learn more
details of the difference between Sharpies and Coopers. Picture taken in
Black Mountain, NC
--
Tom Tribble
H-828-253-7994 <tel:(828)%20253-7994>
C-828-989-1112 <tel:(828)%20989-1112>
