Cooper's Hawk

by Brian Wallace

Title

Cooper's Hawk

Artist

Brian Wallace

Medium

Photograph - 2d Digital Image

Description

A close-up profile of a Cooper's Hawk recooperating at Downs Park in Pasadena, Maryland.

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.

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.

Uploaded

March 23rd, 2020

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