American Museum of Natural History Birds of North America Western Region

With needle-like talons, lengthy, spindle-thin legs, and lengthy ft, this hawk is definitely tailored to snatching birds in flight. The prey is plucked earlier than being ate up or fed to the nestlings. VOICE High-pitched, repeated kiu kiu kiu name; occasionally makes squealing sound whilst disturbed at nest. NESTING strong nest of sticks coated with twigs or items of bark; occasionally an previous crow or squirrel nest; 3–4 eggs; 1 brood; March–June. FEEDING Catches small birds, similar to sparrows and wood-warblers, at the wing, or takes them unaware whereas perched. FLIGHT: swift, direct, and powerful; nimble adequate to move in dense wooded area; soars in the course of migration. looking BIRDS A Sharp-shinned Hawk pauses at the floor with a freshly captured sparrow in its talons. prevalence comparable SPECIES MERLIN COOPER’S HAWK see p. one zero five see p. 113 gentle eye-stripe Deep coniferous forests and combined hardwood–conifer woodlands throughout North the USA from the tree restrict in northern Canada to the Gulf states. in the course of fall migration occasionally visible in flocks of hundreds of thousands of people. Winters in vital the US from Guatemala to Panama. better total rounded tip of tail lengthy pointed wings size 11in (28cm) Wingspan 23in (58cm) Weight 31⁄2 –6oz (100–175g) Social Solitary/Flocks Lifespan no less than 10 years prestige safe DATE visible 112 the place NOTES BIRDS OF PREY Order Falconiformes family members Accipitridae Species Accipiter cooperii Cooper’s Hawk darkish crown reddish eye vast, rounded wings JUVENILE lengthy, barred tail with rounded tip IN FLIGHT grayish blue upperparts yellowish eyes mottled darkish brown upperparts gentle underparts, with brown streaks brown tail yellow legs and ft grownup grayish blue total JUVENILE grownup grey tail with extensive, darkish bands FLIGHT: speedy with swift wing beats interspersed with glides; occasionally soars. A secretive and inconspicuous chook, Cooper’s Hawk was once named by means of Charles Bonaparte, nephew of French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, for William C. Cooper, a famous big apple naturalist. it's a standard wooded area hawk, able to fast maneuvering via dense crops. even though it prefers to stick just about hide, it is going to enterprise out looking for meals. should still a human process the nest white band at of a Cooper’s Hawk, the brooding grownup will quietly go with the flow tip of tail down and clear of the nest tree instead of assault the intruder. VOICE most typical name a staccato ca-ca-ca-ca; different vocalizations comprise as many as forty diverse calls. NESTING Medium-sized, stick nest, frequently in a wide deciduous tree; 4–5 eggs; 1 brood; April–May. FEEDING Catches birds, similar to robins and blackbirds; better women can trap grouse; additionally eats chipmunks, small squirrels, or even bats. better total Breeds in woodlands throughout northern North the US, southern Canada, and the northern US, south to Florida, Texas, and northwestern Mexico. Likes mature deciduous forests with leaf disguise, and likewise roosts in conifers. Winters in southwestern US and Mexico. SHARP-SHINNED HAWK see p. 112 see p.