The Watchman
This handsome Cooper’s Hawk is an occasional visitor at my birdfeeder.
_______________________
More than you ever wanted to know about Cooper’s Hawks:
The Cooper's Hawk is a sleek, medium-sized raptor found throughout much of North and Central America. Known for its agility and stealth, it's a true "bird hawk," specialized in hunting other birds, often at dizzying speeds through dense vegetation.
Appearance: Adults have a striking blue-gray back and head (often with a darker cap), rufous (rusty) barring on their white underparts, and a long, banded tail with a white tip. Juveniles are brown above and have brown streaks on their pale underparts. Their eyes, typically yellow in young birds, gradually turn orange and then a deep red as they age. Females are noticeably larger than males.
They exhibit the classic "accipiter" flight style: a few rapid, stiff wingbeats followed by a short glide. When pursuing prey, their flight becomes incredibly fast and agile, allowing them to navigate expertly through trees.
Cooper's Hawks are generally silent, but they produce a harsh, rapid "kek-kek-kek-kek" call, especially when disturbed or defending a nest.
Cooper's Hawks are adaptable and can be found in a variety of forested habitats, including deciduous, mixed, and evergreen forests.
In recent decades, they've become increasingly common in suburban and urban environments, especially where mature trees provide cover and there's an abundance of prey like pigeons and doves.
Their breeding range extends from southern Canada throughout the continental United States and into Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize.
Northern populations typically migrate south for the winter, reaching as far as Central America, while those in warmer southern states may be year-round residents.
Their diet consists primarily of small to medium-sized birds, including common backyard species like American Robins, Blue Jays, European Starlings, and Mourning Doves. They are formidable hunters, often ambushing prey from a concealed perch or pursuing them in swift, darting flights through the trees.
Their presence at bird feeders, while sometimes unsettling for homeowners, is a natural behavior as they seek out concentrated prey.
Cooper's Hawks typically build large stick nests high up in deciduous or coniferous trees, often in a crotch or on a horizontal branch.
The male usually does most of the nest building. Females lay 3 to 6 pale bluish to greenish-white eggs. The female does the majority of the incubation, with the male providing food for her. Both parents care for the young after hatching. The young fledge (leave the nest) after about 4-5 weeks but remain dependent on their parents for food for several more weeks.
(Sony a9II, 200-600/6.3, @ 600 mm, 1/1000 @ f/8.0, ISO 4000, edited to taste)
The Watchman
This handsome Cooper’s Hawk is an occasional visitor at my birdfeeder.
_______________________
More than you ever wanted to know about Cooper’s Hawks:
The Cooper's Hawk is a sleek, medium-sized raptor found throughout much of North and Central America. Known for its agility and stealth, it's a true "bird hawk," specialized in hunting other birds, often at dizzying speeds through dense vegetation.
Appearance: Adults have a striking blue-gray back and head (often with a darker cap), rufous (rusty) barring on their white underparts, and a long, banded tail with a white tip. Juveniles are brown above and have brown streaks on their pale underparts. Their eyes, typically yellow in young birds, gradually turn orange and then a deep red as they age. Females are noticeably larger than males.
They exhibit the classic "accipiter" flight style: a few rapid, stiff wingbeats followed by a short glide. When pursuing prey, their flight becomes incredibly fast and agile, allowing them to navigate expertly through trees.
Cooper's Hawks are generally silent, but they produce a harsh, rapid "kek-kek-kek-kek" call, especially when disturbed or defending a nest.
Cooper's Hawks are adaptable and can be found in a variety of forested habitats, including deciduous, mixed, and evergreen forests.
In recent decades, they've become increasingly common in suburban and urban environments, especially where mature trees provide cover and there's an abundance of prey like pigeons and doves.
Their breeding range extends from southern Canada throughout the continental United States and into Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize.
Northern populations typically migrate south for the winter, reaching as far as Central America, while those in warmer southern states may be year-round residents.
Their diet consists primarily of small to medium-sized birds, including common backyard species like American Robins, Blue Jays, European Starlings, and Mourning Doves. They are formidable hunters, often ambushing prey from a concealed perch or pursuing them in swift, darting flights through the trees.
Their presence at bird feeders, while sometimes unsettling for homeowners, is a natural behavior as they seek out concentrated prey.
Cooper's Hawks typically build large stick nests high up in deciduous or coniferous trees, often in a crotch or on a horizontal branch.
The male usually does most of the nest building. Females lay 3 to 6 pale bluish to greenish-white eggs. The female does the majority of the incubation, with the male providing food for her. Both parents care for the young after hatching. The young fledge (leave the nest) after about 4-5 weeks but remain dependent on their parents for food for several more weeks.
(Sony a9II, 200-600/6.3, @ 600 mm, 1/1000 @ f/8.0, ISO 4000, edited to taste)