The Cooper’s Hawk photo was taken from my back door as I was watching a swarm of smaller birds in the backyard at a feeder. Its height is estimated at 20 inches.
Select this link to see photos or a slideshow of the Cooper’s Hawk
The juvenile Cooper’s Hawk is a short winged long tailed bird that is brown with a streaked breast and white belly. The tail of the female is rounded, the male less so. Its range is from south Canada, United States, to northern Mexico. Its habitat is mature forest, open woodland, wood edges, and river groves. Feeding on birds and small mammals it hunts by stealth, approaching its prey through dense covering, as seen here, and then pouncing with a rapid powerful flight. Its short wings and long tail make it fast and maneuverable for quick threading among the branches of the trees.
This is my second Hawk to photograph. I was watching a swarm of smaller birds passing through my yard, landing briefly, and then passing on. I saw something larger passing overhead and landing in a tree over a bird feeder. Looking up I had just enough time to get these photos before it took off. It took awhile to identify the bird with the wide tail banding to be a Cooper’s Hawk.
This short Cooper’s Hawk was photographed in Muskego, Wisconsin. It has an estimated height of 14.5 inches.
Photos of Birds by Common Name by Sid Hamm 