Cooper's Hawk
Astur cooperii · Hawks, Eagles, and Kites
Banding codeCOHA
Keys to identifying it
1Size & shape
About 16.5 in long.
2Color pattern
- Blue-gray back and rusty-barred chest (adults)
- Long, rounded tail with dark bands
- Flap-flap-glide flight; red-orange eyes
3Habitat & season
Neighborhoods, woodlands, backyard feeders
In northern Utah: year-round.
Seen most often in July and August.
Share of the region’s research-grade iNaturalist bird observations each month, scaled to this bird’s peak. Highlighted bars are its peak months.
4Voice
A harsh, rapid 'cak-cak-cak' near the nest.
“cak-cak-cak-cak”
iNat 50989142 by John Williams · Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, Lindon, UT, US · CC0
Know it
- Ambushes songbirds and doves at backyard feeders with fast, low flights.
- Skeleton studies found many had healed chest fractures from high-speed chases through branches.
- Females are much bigger than males, often about 40% heavier.
- Often confused with the smaller Sharp-shinned Hawk; look for a rounded tail tip and bigger head.
Often confused with
Red-tailed Hawk
Northern Harrier- Sharp-shinned Hawk
- American Goshawk
From iNaturalist identification data for northern Utah.
From Wikipedia
Cooper's hawk is a medium-sized hawk native to the North American continent and found from southern Canada to Mexico. This species was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter.
Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0