Cooper's Hawk? Ottawa, ON (1 Viewer)

[Gillian_M]

I was doing some Christmas shopping today, and while in my car, stopped at a red light I noticed what looked like two crows giving an aerial performance above a parking lot. Then I got a good look at them and realized one was an accipiter and it was being harassed by the crow! It was just slightly smaller than the crow. Still waiting for the light to change I saw the hawk land in a tree, so I made my way over there to see what it was (I could really use a "I brake for birds of prey" bumper sticker!).

I only managed to take the one photo before it flew off. Given that I was able to watch it interact with the crow and noticed only a slight size difference, I am fairly sure this is a Cooper's hawk but would like to know if it's possible to ID this hawk from the photo. I wish it had stuck around for another minute so I could have gotten out of the way of all the branches!

Thanks!

 

[Dave Hall]

Hi Gillian from your photo it can either be a Cooper's or Sharp-shinned for me your description of the size makes me lean more towards Cooper's

 

[danehower]

I think Dave is right on that. Looks too big to be a Shinny, but it looks pretty cold up there and the bird is all fluffed out so mabey its size deceiving.

 

[Gillian_M]

Hi Dave,

Actually it wasn't too cold today....only a couple of degrees below zero, making it the warmest day of the week! Don't forget, too, that it had just been flying around, performing "evasive maneouvers" while being pecked at by a crow. Unless bird physiology is vastly different from other animals', its heart was probably still racing and it likely would not have had enough time to become cold yet to need to fluff itself out.

However, in the above photo it looks like it is just about to take off, because when I looked up to take another photo it was already gone.

 

[danehower]

Hi Dave,

Actually it wasn't too cold today....only a couple of degrees below zero, making it the warmest day of the week! Don't forget, too, that it had just been flying around, performing "evasive maneouvers" while being pecked at by a crow. Unless bird physiology is vastly different from other animals', its heart was probably still racing and it likely would not have had enough time to become cold yet to need to fluff itself out.

However, in the above photo it looks like it is just about to take off, because when I looked up to take another photo it was already gone.

Ah ok - I hear that. - Well, with the crows as a reference to size how did this Accipiter match up? Mabey that will at least help with the size issue. I kind of chuckled when you said it was pretty warm being only a few degrees below zero - it has been such a warm start down here.

 

[Gillian_M]

Well, when you consider that the beginning of the week the temperature was about -14C and wouldn't get any warmer, -2 isn't bad at all!

The accipiter was just a little bit smaller than the crow. In fact, when I saw the two birds in flight, I thought that both birds were crows until I saw the shape of its tail and realized it was an accipiter - the sizes were very close.

 

[danehower]

oh - I feel like a dumby now. You said the accipiter was smaller than the crows in your first post. Hmm..

 

[rgirard]

Hi,

I think I saw a Coopers Hawk in downtown Ottawa the day after you did. It was at the corner of Strathcona and Metcalfe Streets in the Glebe. It was around 8:30 AM and I saw this raptor with its prey fly to the peak of the roof across from my house. If it was a Coopers Hawk, it proceeded to consume its prey (a small unidentified bird that was still alive when I first saw it) in the morning sunshine. It was an amazing sight to behold in my urban neighborhood. I am not a birder, but am interested in birds and can identify a few. This time I had no idea what kind of bird of prey this was. I happened across your post on this forum and I am now pretty sure that this bird was a Coopers Hawk judging from other photos I've seen on the web.

Unfortunately I did not take a picture.
Thanks

 

[Robert / Seattle]

Hard to be sure on the photo but it looks as though there's a bit of color on the nape of the neck, indicating Cooper's. The rounded tail with prominent terminal white band is also suggestive of Cooper's.

 

[Tim42]

But the tail is squared off, a Sharpie trait. I'm going with Sharpie, sorry!

 

[Gillian_M]

Hi,

I think I saw a Coopers Hawk in downtown Ottawa the day after you did. It was at the corner of Strathcona and Metcalfe Streets in the Glebe. It was around 8:30 AM and I saw this raptor with its prey fly to the peak of the roof across from my house. If it was a Coopers Hawk, it proceeded to consume its prey (a small unidentified bird that was still alive when I first saw it) in the morning sunshine. It was an amazing sight to behold in my urban neighborhood. I am not a birder, but am interested in birds and can identify a few. This time I had no idea what kind of bird of prey this was. I happened across your post on this forum and I am now pretty sure that this bird was a Coopers Hawk judging from other photos I've seen on the web.

Unfortunately I did not take a picture.
Thanks

Hi rgirard,

Welcome to Birdforum!

Cooper's Hawk and Sharp-shinned Hawk look virtually identical and are found in the city. We also have merlins and peregrine falcons in the city as well. Those would be the four likeliest candidates, though if you're sure it was an accipiter (rather than a falcon, the category that merlins and peregrines fall into) it could be either Cooper's or Sharpie.

Have you seen it again this week?

 

[goshawk227]

I would say male Coops, by the pale nape, fairly hulking appearence, and thicker legs then I would expect on a Sharpie.