Cooper's Hawk Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  A medium-sized hawk with the classic accipiter shape: broad, rounded wings and a very long tail. In Cooper’s Hawks, the head often appears large, the shoulders broad, and the tail rounded.

  Relative Size

  Larger than a Sharp-shinned Hawk and about crow-sized, but males can be much smaller.

  crow-sized

  Measurements

  • Male
  • • Length: 14.6-15.3 in (37-39 cm)
    • Weight: 7.8-14.5 oz (220-410 g)
    • Wingspan: 24.4-35.4 in (62-90 cm)
  • Female
  • • Length: 16.5-17.7 in (42-45 cm)
    • Weight: 11.6-24.0 oz (330-680 g)
    • Wingspan: 29.5-35.4 in (75-90 cm)

  © Alex Lamoreaux / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  Adults are steely blue-gray above with warm reddish bars on the underparts and thick dark bands on the tail. Juveniles are brown above and crisply streaked with brown on the upper breast, giving them a somewhat hooded look compared with young Sharp-shinned Hawks' more diffuse streaking.

• Behavior

  Look for Cooper’s Hawks to fly with a flap-flap-glide pattern typical of accipiters. Even when crossing large open areas they rarely flap continuously. Another attack maneuver is to fly fast and low to the ground, then up and over an obstruction to surprise prey on the other side.
• Habitat

  Wooded habitats from deep forests to leafy subdivisions and backyards.