What did I just see? Bird of prey - Oklahoma City, USA (4 Viewers)

[Skippydee]

I’ve been sitting here counting my birds for FeederWatch and a little flock of sparrows is foraging on the ground… nothing special. Suddenly, they fly to the tangled vines on my fence and bunch up in the center. A large gray and white bird swoops in, lands on a tree at the edge of my yard and by the time it takes me to yell, “WOW!”, he swoops off and the sparrows hightail it out of Dodge.

I’m terrible at identifying hawks and the like because I’m just getting into birds and I live in the city. Suburban neighborhhood, lots of houses, highways nearby. Not much open land to speak of without going 4 or 5 miles away.

Judging from my location, most likely candidates are Coopers Hawk, Northern Harrier, or a Merlin. Those vary wildly in size. I think I can rule out the Northern Harrier because it wasn’t THAT big. Coopers seems most likely because of where I am but I didn’t see any brown or reddish colors at all. Just gray and white.

Anyone have any thoughts? I wish I had pics but it happened so fast! I went outside but didn’t see him anywhere.

 

[Sangahyando]

Judging by the description of the situation, I agree that Cooper's seems most likely (habitat, behaviour, etc.). NB that Northern Harrier is very similar to Cooper's Hawk in actual size (i.e. weight), it's just that the harrier has much longer wings and a slower wingbeat, making it appear particularly big. But harriers are less likely in an urban setting anyway. Sharp-shinned Hawk is also possible but relatively small. Immature Red-tailed Hawk (without red in the tail) would also be possible, but is obviously very big. Merlin is small and compact and more likely in open country. In the end, it's difficult to nail down without pictures, so I'd put it as "most likely Cooper's Hawk".

 

[njlarsen]

Accipiter (Coopers or Sharp-shinned) seems most likely due to behavior; however, is Red-shouldered Hawk excluded in OK at this time of year?
Niels

 

[Skippydee]

Judging by the description of the situation, I agree that Cooper's seems most likely (habitat, behaviour, etc.). NB that Northern Harrier is very similar to Cooper's Hawk in actual size (i.e. weight), it's just that the harrier has much longer wings and a slower wingbeat, making it appear particularly big. But harriers are less likely in an urban setting anyway. Sharp-shinned Hawk is also possible but relatively small. Immature Red-tailed Hawk (without red in the tail) would also be possible, but is obviously very big. Merlin is small and compact and more likely in open country. In the end, it's difficult to nail down without pictures, so I'd put it as "most likely Cooper's Hawk".

Thank you! I’m thinking you are right that it’s Cooper’s Hawk. All I have to go on is my Sibley’s book (stolen from my parents) and pics on Google. I saw some pics that look very similar and with a wing span at 2 1/2 feet, that seems about right. I don’t think it was as small as Sharp-shinned.

Niels, I don’t think it’d be a red-shouldered. I don’t think the wingspan was that big. Looking at the map in Sibley’s, OKC is in the far western edge of its summer range, so I’m guessing that would be unlikely. (But I am very much a novice!)

Thank you both! I’ve enjoyed looking at all the possibilities and hearing your thoughts. Birding is really fascinating!

 

[njlarsen]

One thing you need to learn is that we as human beings are a lot poorer at judging size than we think we are. I have learned this the hard way and a lot others have as well -- if you don't believe me, read the introduction of Peterson Field Guides Advanced Birding (1st edition) by Kenn Kaufman.
This does not change that Coop Hawk is the most likely bird based on the description you provided - but it does mean that it is not a certainty.

Niels

 

[Skippydee]

Makes a lot of sense to me and I don’t doubt it. I def think I’m a terrible judge of size. (Which explains why I mentioned both Northern Harrier and Merlin in my first post!)

Sounds like an interesting book. I should probably find a beginners guide before one for advanced birding though! Thanks for the tips.

 

[njlarsen]

One of the Sibley (east or west) guides would likely be a good one, National Geographic another one for the first time out. However, I purchased the Advanced birding guide on my first trip to the US, and it did make me think differently about bird id, and I think this is worthwhile even early in your experience of birding.
Niels

 

[Skippydee]

One of the Sibley (east or west) guides would likely be a good one, National Geographic another one for the first time out. However, I purchased the Advanced birding guide on my first trip to the US, and it did make me think differently about bird id, and I think this is worthwhile even early in your experience of birding.
Niels

Thank you! I appreciate your thoughts and will look into getting another book.

Happy New Year’s Eve!

 

[CMS in Springfield Mo]

I am a resident of SW Missouri, watching birds for most of my 69 yrs. You might consider the Broadwing Hawk. They have a bottles gray-white breast, medium brown back and wings. They are a little larger than a Cooper's Hawk. I have seen an increase in their numbers in recent years, especially in midwest cities. Although they are not accipiters (bird hunters) their presence near songbirds elicit very nervous, defensive behavior.