Alberta Hawk (1 Viewer)

[Leucistic Magpie]

I'm not very good at identifying hawks, because (a) I typically only see them while driving and they're usually Red-Tails, and (b) because all the different colour-morphs throw me off. I saw two of the same species this afternoon while out for a walk in the Edmonton, Alberta river valley. It's a forested area and these two birds were perched in separate trees, calling out (to each other?) fairly continually (three or four "screes" in a row; sometimes it sounded like two of a lower pitch followed by two of a higher pitch). There was another raptor, possibly of the same species, flying overhead.

I got several photos from different angles. One of the birds was in a dead spruce tree, the other was in a dead deciduous tree, so that should help in differentiating them. I had a really excellent view of one in a different tree earlier, before I got my camera. I took some notes, so I may be able to clarify some information if the photos aren't clear enough. I also have a mediocre recording of their calls, if necessary.

Please let me know not just what they are, but how to tell, so that I can more easily identify them in the future!

 

[Indobirder]

This is a young Coopers Hawk.

It has a long tail (much longer than those of the Buteo hawks)

This brings us to Accipiter sp. Which in North America is either Goshawk, Cooper's or Sharp-shinned (largest to smallest).

The rounded tail (outer tail feathers being shorter), the streaking on the chest, and the position/relative size of the eye lead to young Cooper's Hawk.

There are many resources online on how to separate these.

 

[Indobirder]

There are many resources online on how to separate these.

Perhaps this is not very helpful...
Here's one that seems decent: Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks

I would recommend getting Sibley's guide, and studying the hawks in there.

Other than that getting out and watching them

 

[Leucistic Magpie]

Thank you very much! I do have Sibley's, but I find it difficult to use for birds with a lot of plumage variation. None of the pictures in Sibley's closely resembles these two. Also, a personal fault of mine is that I tend to pay too little attention to juvenile plumage. I didn't mention it, but I had been looking mainly at Accipiter hawks, so I was on the right track at least.

I looked at several pages online to no avail, so thank you for pointing me towards that one. It is very helpful.

I'm also happy to hear that it is a Cooper's. I've successfully identified a Sharp-shinned before, but never this species. This is species no. 150 for me.