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Mississauga Ontario Hawk? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter 49bentley
- Start date
If not a Cooper's, what? Do you see something inconsistent with that ID?
RJP
Well-known member
Let's talk more about that tail. You can see that the tail feathers are not all equal lengths - there is a graduation from shortest to longest. Those shortest feathers will end up on the outside when the tail is spread, the longest in the center. This is a structural quality that clearly separates a Cooper's from a Sharp-shinned - Sharpies' tail feathers are all virtually the same length.
Wheeler discusses the tail in his Raptors of Western North America in the Chapter on Cooper's Hawks and notes that the tail of a female Sharp-shinned hawk can be round tipped.
He notes in the paragraph on SIMILAR SPECIES at page 184 when discussing the female Sharp-shinned Hawk, PERCHED, he writes: "Small, round-shaped head at all times; however in warm temperatures Cooper's Hawks regularly compress head feathers so head appears quite small. Supraorbital ridge skin, if visible, is yellow. Tarsi are long and thin. Rectrix length on underside of tail helpful; however a very round-tipped tail on female Sharp-shinned Hawks is identical to that of Cooper's Hawks."
There is a further Note: "The only real confusion when perched should be with subadult Male Cooper's Hawk but their nape is always darker rufous/gray.
Bob
He notes in the paragraph on SIMILAR SPECIES at page 184 when discussing the female Sharp-shinned Hawk, PERCHED, he writes: "Small, round-shaped head at all times; however in warm temperatures Cooper's Hawks regularly compress head feathers so head appears quite small. Supraorbital ridge skin, if visible, is yellow. Tarsi are long and thin. Rectrix length on underside of tail helpful; however a very round-tipped tail on female Sharp-shinned Hawks is identical to that of Cooper's Hawks."
There is a further Note: "The only real confusion when perched should be with subadult Male Cooper's Hawk but their nape is always darker rufous/gray.
Bob
No, but I wanted to challenge the experts to justify their stance. That way I could learn something.
Fair enough. The awkward angle opens up other possibilities but as others have said the short outer tail feathers pretty much clinch it.
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