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Sharp-shinned or cooper's hawk near Toronto (Canada) (1 Viewer)

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pietern2

Well-known member
I just saw this hawk sitting in a tree near Toronto. Is it a sharp-shinned hawk or a cooper's hawk?
 

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Yes, the bird was banded. Why would this be a Cooper's? The bird guide I used to identify the bird doesn't show any white markings on the back of either hawk.
 
pietern2 said:
Yes, the bird was banded. Why would this be a Cooper's? The bird guide I used to identify the bird doesn't show any white markings on the back of either hawk.
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Both Cooper's and Sharp-shinned can show varying amounts of white on the back. The thick legs (notwithstanding the band on one leg) and warmer brown head than back are two features that point to Cooper's for me.
 
birdmeister said:
Both Cooper's and Sharp-shinned can show varying amounts of white on the back. The thick legs (notwithstanding the band on one leg) and warmer brown head than back are two features that point to Cooper's for me.
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I can't see any visible leg at all, just the bit that's inside the ring?


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I have added some new pictures which show more of the actual leg. Maybe this could help the identification?
 

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andyadcock said:
I can't see any visible leg at all, just the bit that's inside the ring?


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True. As Nutcracker pointed out, I partly used the feet in my assessment. I should have specified that. If you think about it, though, a bird's leg band is supposed to have a fairly snug fit on the leg (not too snug). Keeping that in mind, the pictured bird's leg must still be pretty thick.
 
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