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Verify Cooper's Hawk in North Central Texas (1 Viewer)

Scrogdog

Well-known member
Walked into my back yard an hour ago to watch a squirrel that was at one of my bird feeders when I suddenly noticed this hawk sitting on my back fence no more than 30 feet from me. I was surprised that he didn't fly off due to my close proximity to him, but I was able to retreat to my back door and retrieve my camera and took these photos and several others from my back porch before he decided to fly off. I assume it's a Cooper's Hawk due to its large size, but just want to verify it is. I considered Sharp-shinned, but it seemed much too large for that bird.
 

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Hi,

It is an adult Red-shouldered Hawk-- if you look you can see the rufous on the top of the "shoulders". Probably one of the most accipiter-like of the buteos. An Accipiter would show a longer tail and shorter wings, and the tail would have thick light and dark bands. And an adult Cooper's does have a similar reddish breast and belly, but it would always have a dark gray back to go with it.

Best,
Jim
 
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I considered Red Shouldered, based on looks, but my guide only shows them to reside as far west as East and Southeast Texas which is some distance from my location northwest of Fort Worth.
 
I considered Red Shouldered, based on looks, but my guide only shows them to reside as far west as East and Southeast Texas which is some distance from my location northwest of Fort Worth.

It is definitely a Red-shouldered Hawk, but you are right that you are near the western limit of the eastern portion of their range. The most up to date field guide I have (fifth edition National Geographic) shows the range extending further west into Texas than my big 2000 Sibley's guide. So perhaps there has been some recent expansion of the range. In any event, range maps in field guides are generally only rough indications of range and are often imprecise at the borders, and of course birds do sometimes appear outside their normal range.

Best,
Jim
 
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You mentioned the length of the tail. The photos I posted don't show the tail. Here is one that shows the entire profile of the bird.

Gary
 

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You mentioned the length of the tail. The photos I posted don't show the tail. Here is one that shows the entire profile of the bird.

Gary

Thanks. This shows the classic red shouldered pattern of narrow white bands and broad dark bands.

Best,
Jim
 
I just checked a map of Texas, and compared the location of Decatur to the range maps in my field guide. All my field guides clearly show Decatur as being within the normal range of Red-shouldered Hawk. So your bird would not qualify as a vagrant. I think the map you are looking at must be in an old field guide or simply inaccurate.

Best,
Jim
 
Jim

Probably need to update my guide. It's a 10 year-old "American Bird Conservancy Field Guide. It laid around here for several years unused until I got interested in bird watching last year. Thanks for your help.

Gary
 
Glad I posted the pictures. Nice to know I've added another bird to my list. I should have paid more attention to the color on the bird's back, and would have known it wasn't a Cooper's. I have a picture of a Cooper's I took back in February that clearly shows its gray back which the Red-shouldered obviously doesn't have now that I look closer. I guess I was just so used to seeing the Coopers, which have a similar color pattern on their breast and are similar in size, that I didn't pay enough attention to its back feathers. Thanks to all.

Gary
 
I have photographed more than 6 different Red-Shouldered Hawks here in eastern Oklhahoma where the seem to more prevalent than Red-Tails. One thing I have noticed is that they seem more adjusted to suburban living than Red-Tails who won't even sit still at max range when viewed with a 600mm lens. There are a large pair raising a brood of three fledglings near a large neighborhood just south of Tulsa. They don't seem to be bothered by the proximity to I-75 and the baseball park they live in.
 
Hello !! New to the Birdforum. Responding to an old post. Casual birder for a long time. Now looking forward to take it to the next level with the help of many Birdforum folks here.

Wow, red-shouldered sitting on a fence in a suburban environment !! In NJ, according to NJDEP (NJ Department of Environmental Protection), these birds require extensive woodlands for survival and they are area-sensitive, which I take it as anti-human habitat birds. These birds are protected in NJ.

http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/ensp/pdf/end-thrtened/redshldhwk.pdf

This spring, I happened to discover a red-shouldred's nest next to a county road and driveway to residence in South Jersey while bike riding. Went back twice after the discovery and saw female (assuming) on the nest as well as an adult close by the nest during second visit. Confirmation that there is always an exception to what the publication states and these birds behave different from region to region.
Also in NJ, more often than not, the assumption is that if you see a nesting pair of red-tails in an area, do not bother to look for the RSH's in the same habitat/area.
 
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