p.1 #1 · Is this a Cooper's Hawk? (UPDATE: we have an answer!)
UPDATE: Thanks to Laura, we have what looks like the definitive answer to the question I originally asked here. The answer is, this appears to be an immature Broad-winged hawk. Read on to see how the identification saga unfolded ...
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I went out this afternoon looking for more Cedar Waxwings and didn't find any. What I did find, however, was this hawk perching near the ground and seemingly unconcerned when I approached it. I was amazed at how cool the hawk was about my presence.
I have been scratching my head trying to identify it, and my best guess is that it is an immature Cooper's Hawk. The only hangup in my mind is that the eye is NOT yellow, but rather a reddish brown. Could be be a sharp-shinned or broad-winged hawk? If the size helps with the ID, this one was roughly the same size as a red-shouldered hawk and was perching quite low to the ground near a swampy area in the middle of Atlanta.
p.1 #2 · Is this a Cooper's Hawk? (UPDATE: we have an answer!)
Chris,
I have a friend who knows how to nail these immediately. What I can tell you is that it's not a Cooper's Hawk. Better guesses would be Broad-winged I think....
p.1 #3 · Is this a Cooper's Hawk? (UPDATE: we have an answer!)
Thanks Lil. Please ask your friend to look at the pictures (there are a total of nine images of this bird at www.pbase.com/cwillis/raptors) and help with the ID. So far among the knowledgeable Atlanta area birders who have seen the pictures, I have three votes for Cooper's Hawk and no votes for any other species. I will really be interested in any other opinions, though, because I am still very unsure about the identification, mainly because of the eye color.
p.1 #5 · Is this a Cooper's Hawk? (UPDATE: we have an answer!)
the tail is not long enough for a Cooper's. Notice in #1 that the tail extends only a couple of inches past the tip of the wing. The closest looks to be the broad-winged. However, the breast markings are not quite right and their should be some light and darks bars on the tail - which does not seem to be present.
p.1 #6 · Is this a Cooper's Hawk? (UPDATE: we have an answer!)
Hi Chris,
just heard back from my friend Larry.... This is what he writes me after seeing your shots... (I sent him to your web page..)
and I quote....
"I took a look at what he called a Cooper's Hawk. It's not an Accipiter
of any kind - the tail is way too short, among other things. There's a
hint of pattern in the tail that suggests Red-Shouldered Hawk
(juvenile). The habitat is also suggestive of Red-shouldered. I think
it also could be a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk. I'm not familiar with
juvenile Red-shouldered, so I can't say for sure. A shot from the back
would have clinched an i.d.
Cheers,
Larry"
Larry is a birder of 50 some years. So, if you see it again - - try to get a shot of the tail.... It's definitely a young bird as the color patterns are not set yet...
p.1 #7 · Is this a Cooper's Hawk? (UPDATE: we have an answer!)
Thanks Lil. I can't believe how difficult this ID has been. Based on what Larry said and some samples I have seen on the web, I think I am going to call it a Red-shouldered. I know for a fact there are numerous red-shouldered hawks in this particular area, as I hear them and see them soaring there frequently. If this one had made any noise it would have helped!
So please thank Larry for his assistance for me.
Chris
p.1 #9 · Is this a Cooper's Hawk? (UPDATE: we have an answer!)
Oh, I thought you were joking about taking another picture of this individual bird! I have no idea if I would be able to find it again, but if I find it (or one that seems to be it), I will definitely let you know. Don't count on it though, I am sure I'm not that lucky ...
p.1 #10 · Is this a Cooper's Hawk? (UPDATE: we have an answer!)
immature cooper, harrier,red-shouldered,? where and when was this taken? that may help with ID, there a like 3 immature hawks that look alike in my Peterson's Guide for this region
p.1 #11 · Is this a Cooper's Hawk? (UPDATE: we have an answer!)
Clifton, the picture was taken yesterday afternoon at about 4:40. The location is an area in the northeastern part of the City of Atlanta, which is an office park surrounding a small forested/wetland area. Two days prior to taking this picture, I was photographing cedar waxwings in the same location and repeatedly saw and heard two red-shouldered hawks here, but they were flying with the sun behind them, so I don't know if the ones I saw the previous time were adults or not. The hawk pictured here was silent, so I didn't get any identification help from its call.
I do agree with Larry and with Gerald that the tail does not seem long enough to be a Cooper's or Sharp-shinned, plus the eye is the wrong color for those anyway.
If you have any ideas about how to definitively identify it, I welcome your comments. Thanks for looking.
p.1 #12 · Is this a Cooper's Hawk? (UPDATE: we have an answer!)
I could be wrong, but I thought the eye color changes gradually to red as the bird ages. The markings (teardrop breast plumage and slight barring on the wings) seems to point towards an immature Coopers...but the tail throws me off a bit seeing as though it is a bit short. An immature Red Shouldered Hawk has more of a blotchy mahogany breast, rather than the tear drop pattern this bird has but the tail seems to fit the bill. You may have possibly found the first case of interbreeding between the two
just out of curiosity...did it happen to have a white patch above its tail on the rump?
In any case...#3 is great.
p.1 #13 · Is this a Cooper's Hawk? (UPDATE: we have an answer!)
From what I have read, in a Cooper's the eye starts off yellow, then changes to orange, and finally to red when the hawk is mature. Here, the color seems much more "brown" than any examples of intermediate-age Cooper's I have been able to find. I agree that the breast pattern looks exactly like an immature Cooper's (which is why that is what I originally identified it as), but the tail length seems so totally wrong now that I focus on that part of it.
I did not see whether it had a white patch on its rump, sorry. I was so excited that I got to take these pictures at all, plus I had only one angle of approach available to me so I could not move around to see the hawk from different angles.
Keep the comments coming! Presumably we will get to a definite resolution on this somehow!
p.1 #15 · Is this a Cooper's Hawk? (UPDATE: we have an answer!)
As a newcomer to the forum I will wade into this discussion with some hesitation.
I am attaching a pic of an immature Coopers for comparison . The yellow eye that a previous poster mentioned is clearly prominent as is the sleek body shape of an accipter. The tail bars even in this sideways photo are also visible. As a birder the post in question in my ( humble ) opinion is not a Coopers but an immature Red Shouldered or Immature Broadwinged . From the photos it is difficult to get a handle on it's actual size , the Broadwinged hawk, being somewhat smaller than a Red Shouldered, about 5 inches in length. Not withstanding any of these comments the photos are wonderful. Alan
p.1 #16 · Is this a Cooper's Hawk? (UPDATE: we have an answer!)
Gene -- thanks for your comment. At the time I was taking these pictures, I was so happy the hawk was cooperating that identifying it was the last thing on my mind... I went back and looked at the time stamps on my pictures, and 9 minutes elapsed from the first frame I shot to the last (total of 133 frames in that time period).
Alan, thanks for your comments and analysis. With regard to the size of this particular bird, it was definitely the size of a red-shouldered hawk. I see those all the time and my first reaction when I saw this one was that it was the size of a red-shouldered. That would presumably argue in favor of it being a red-shouldered and not a broad-winged.
Any other comments on the identification would be appreciated!
p.1 #17 · Is this a Cooper's Hawk? (UPDATE: we have an answer!)
Well there are three ways to tell a cooper Immature from a sharp shinned Immature hawk and they are the tail shape, the size, and the shins showing on the Sharpy. How ever I see no bars marked on the tail in the first photo so I don’t think it is either as all that have been mentioned so far have a dark bar on the base of the tail. It is possible that it could be a Cooper (as the tail is round) but of a different plumage. This is a thing that happens quite a bit as I have seen and photographed a few white red tails that are not Albinos.
As for a red shoulder well here is one that is just about 2 weeks after its first flight. HUMMmm
Lou
p.1 #19 · Is this a Cooper's Hawk? (UPDATE: we have an answer!)
Chris, I think you have some great shots of a juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk. Your shots don't show the wings or the back of the bird but do shot a little of the tail, chest and head. I watched a nesting pair of Cooper's for several years and watched the young ones grow from a white ball of fluff to beautiful juveniles. The eyes change, the color changes and the size of the bird. I posted a few shots (4)below of a mature and juvenile -- the juvenile looks similar but not quite like your shots. I am not an expert but I would put money on your shot being a young Red-shouldered. Steve W
