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-sizedMeasurements
- 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.
© Evan Lipton / Macaulay Library - 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.
© Dominic Le Croissette / Macaulay Library
Regional Differences
Cooper’s Hawks from western North America are substantially smaller (weighing around one-fifth less) than birds in the East.
