this post was submitted on 11 Mar 2024
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Orinthology (mander.xyz)
submitted 6 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[–] [email protected] 21 points 6 months ago (4 children)

I'm confused by the small size of the Cooper in the photo. I have what I thought was a Cooper in my yard but it is easily 3x bigger than the one on the left. I've seen it carrying an adult squirrel (struggling but it still made the flight).

What hawk looks like a Cooper but is 3x bigger? Isn't the other name for a Cooper, Chicken Hawk?

[–] [email protected] 17 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Maybe a red-shoulder hawk? They look similar, but with... red shoulders.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Yes, it must be a red shouldered hawk. I assumed Cooper Hawks were bigger because of the name "Chicken Hawk". The hawk in that photo couldn't steal a chicken.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago

Coopers talons aren't even enough to deal with squirrels or corvids, you can often see all of them sharing a habitat. Mice would be their go to meal. I used to take pictures of them training their young to hunt in North Dakota, you could see ten to twenty spread between some elms and aspen during April and May.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 6 months ago

WHere do you live? I know in the western US, we have lots of hawks that are notably larger than either of these two (but then, I'm not an ornithologist, or even a real bird-watcher, so who knows)

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

That was my first thought too. This Cooper’s Hawk is way too small.

Turns out (according to Wikipedia) their adult size can vary a lot depending on location and other factors, from 14”-20”. The ones I see around here are def closer to 20 than 14, and the sharp shinned hawks are relatively small and slender.