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Cooper's Hawk or Sharp-shinned Hawk? (1 Viewer)

RKDad

Member
I got this picture this morning out my front window, it was chasing what I believe are Cedar Waxwings.(pic included) I posted this question in the bird ID section before I found this thread. We've had a little debate about which species this actually is. I got mostly Sharp's votes on this but I'm not to sure. The thing that gets me are the eyes, Sharp's are the yellowish color and Cooper's have the dark orange/red eyes. Very similar in colors right down to the yellow bridge on the beak. I am new to this species so I am no expert by any means. Just curious mostly.

Rory
 

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There is no difference in eye color between adult (which your bird is) Coops & Sharpies. Dto for the immatures of the 2 species both of which have yellow eyes. And yes, Cedar Waxwings.
 
I'd say Bohemian Waxwings - the undertail coverts are reddish instead of whitish, and they have yellow wing bands.
Not sure about the hawk.
 
Second fugl on eye colour - useful for aging within a species, but doesn't say anything about which species you're looking at.

I believe the hawk is, indeed, Sharp-shinned; can't see the tail at all well (which is my usual "go-to" feature for distinguishing these two) but the adult Coop should have a "capped" appearance (top of head noticably darker than the nape/back). In this individual, the cap looks about the same grey as the nape/back.

PC.
 
I'd say Bohemian Waxwings - the undertail coverts are reddish instead of whitish, and they have yellow wing bands.
Not sure about the hawk.

I believe you are correct, after further comparison it seems to be a Bohemian and not a Cedar. Easiest to spot difference is the belly. Cedar's are brownish/yellow and Bohemian are gray. :clap:

The Hawk I'm standing firm (for now) as being a Cooper. I have yet to find on any identity site that shows Sharp's to have red eyes or Cooper's to have yellow. Remember this is Southwest Montana. I am contacting a few local Falconers in our area to see they can shed some certainty on the subject. :h?:
 
The Hawk I'm standing firm (for now) as being a Cooper. I have yet to find on any identity site that shows Sharp's to have red eyes or Cooper's to have yellow. Remember this is Southwest Montana.

Eye colour not regional with these species. Can't imagine what sites you've been looking at, but try Cornell - great side-by-sides of the two species.

Cheers,
PC
 
I got this picture this morning out my front window, it was chasing what I believe are Cedar Waxwings.(pic included) I posted this question in the bird ID section before I found this thread. We've had a little debate about which species this actually is. I got mostly Sharp's votes on this but I'm not to sure. The thing that gets me are the eyes, Sharp's are the yellowish color and Cooper's have the dark orange/red eyes. Very similar in colors right down to the yellow bridge on the beak. I am new to this species so I am no expert by any means. Just curious mostly.

Rory

There never was a 'debate' about the ID, just you who questioned the eye colour which had already been explained to you and it's a Sharp-shinned.

You can list it as whatever you like, that's up to you but why ask opinions here and then overide what you're told by several, experienced birders?
 
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I got this picture this morning out my front window, it was chasing what I believe are Cedar Waxwings.(pic included) I posted this question in the bird ID section before I found this thread. We've had a little debate about which species this actually is. I got mostly Sharp's votes on this but I'm not to sure. The thing that gets me are the eyes, Sharp's are the yellowish color and Cooper's have the dark orange/red eyes. Very similar in colors right down to the yellow bridge on the beak. I am new to this species so I am no expert by any means. Just curious mostly.

Rory

Rory,

You might get some more useful information from this website:

http://www.peregrine-foundation.ca/identification.html

Scroll down to Accipiters.

Click on Sharp-shinned Hawk and below to the left you will find an accipiter comparison size chart.

Bob
 
Cedar much commoner most places in the lower 48 at least.

Thanks,
when we had our first accepted record of Cedar, in my home Town of Nottingham actually, it was thought that Bohemians may have been the 'carrier' species as hundreds were seen heading out to sea, I think it was from somewhere in Canada?

It was suggested that many of the Bohemian's that year were actually of American rather than European origin, the roost in the centre of Nottingham that year, held and estimated thousand birds.
 
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