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Cooper's Hawk

(Accipiter cooperii)

Cooper's Hawk
©Greg Gothard 1999

Cooper's hawks are agile forest hawks. They feed mostly on smaller birds. The curved tail is a good way to tell a Cooper's Hawk from a Sharp-shinned Hawk.

Length: 16.5 inches

Wingspan: 31 inches

Weight: 450 grams (Females are larger than the males)

This photograph was taken during one of the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory banding demonstrations on Hawk Hill. The bird was released shortly after the photo was taken. HawkTalk and Banding Demonstrations are given at Hawk Hill Saturdays and Sundays at Noon and 1:00PM respectively, September and October, weather permitting.

Cooper's Hawk in Flight
Cooper's Hawk
©Greg Gothard 1999

Cooper's Hawk in Flight

The Cooper's Hawk has a tail that is longer in proportion to the wings than does the Sharp-shinned Hawk. You can also see that the tail has a deeply curved tail while the Sharp-shinned Hawk's tail seems to be squared off. Take a look at a Sharp-shinned Hawk in flight to compare.
Sharp-shinned Hawk & Cooper's Hawk
Sharp-shinned hawk and Cooper's Hawk

This photo shows the size difference between the Accipiters that are commonly seen during the fall migration at Hawk Hill, in the Marin Headlands of Northern California. The male sharp-shinned hawk (left) is much smaller than this female Cooper's Hawk (right). A female Sharp-shinned Hawk is almost the same size as the male Cooper's Hawk.
If you find a bird other than a pigeon with an aluminum band, please call and report the find to The Bird Banding Laboratory. The call is toll-free and the number is 1-800-327-BAND (2263) from anywhere in Canada, the United States and most parts of the Caribbean. Please have all the information on the bird band with you when you call. They will need to know the band number, location you found the bird, the date you found the bird, and how you got the band as well as your name and address. The sole purpose of 1-800-327-BAND is to make it convenient for people to report recoveries of birds banded with service bands. Please do not use this number to call about other matters. The 1-800 number is NOT for reporting pigeon bands . The Bird Banding Laboratory does not keep any records on the bands used on pigeons.

Contact the GGRO:

Mail:
Golden Gate Raptor Observatory
Building 201, Fort Mason
San Francisco, CA 94123

Phone:
(415) 331-0730

E-mail address:
ggro@parksconservancy.org

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