Identification- Cooper’s Hawk? (1 Viewer)

[Megeli]

Hi all! I live in Quebec, Canada. This morning I saw 4 birds that looked like Cooper’s Hawks, but I’m not sure. I’m new to birding after moving to the country a few months ago.

When these birds were calling, it looked like they were jumping up and down in the branches. Is this a normal behavioural trait for hawks?

Thanks!

 

[KC Foggin]

It would be a great help in I D ing this Hawk if you could get a picture of it.

Hi there Megeli and a warm welcome to you from those of us on staff here at BirdForum
We're glad you found us and please join in wherever you like.

 

[nartreb]

It's early nesting season for Cooper's hawks. Two together would be expected, four in a group is surprising any time of year except for siblings sharing a nest.

"Jumping up and down in the branches" sounds like hungry youngsters demanding attention. It's totally the wrong time of year for that, though. (Even for owls, I think - they may hatch in February but need several weeks to fledge)

 

[Megeli]

It's early nesting season for Cooper's hawks. Two together would be expected, four in a group is surprising any time of year except for siblings sharing a nest.

"Jumping up and down in the branches" sounds like hungry youngsters demanding attention. It's totally the wrong time of year for that, though. (Even for owls, I think - they may hatch in February but need several weeks to fledge)

Thanks for your reply! It was at the very top of the tree and they were flying from tree to tree looking down at a meadow below. It was a bit too far to see if they were indeed Cooper’s Hawks, but they had the following characteristics:

-Long tail; dark on the outside, light on the inside.
-A flattish head with a little bump on the back
-A sharp beak that did Not look curled at the end.
-A light grey or brown color, with a light belly.
And I Think there was some kind of grey streak near there eyes.

When they were calling, they had there beaks straight up in the air.

 

[Butty]

Doesn't sound like Cooper's hawk, nor any other raptor. Some jay or other?

 

[Tired]

What shape were they? An upright shape like a hawk, a more elongated shape like a Blue Jay?

 

[Megeli]

Doesn't sound like Cooper's hawk, nor any other raptor. Some jay or other?

Much larger than jays. I’ll look into similar type birds, thanks for the tip.

 

[Megeli]

What shape were they? An upright shape like a hawk, a more elongated shape like a Blue Jay?

Definitely upright!

 

[Butty]

Much larger than jays.

It's notoriously unreliable to judge size without a bird of known species being alongside.

 

[Tired]

If you're sure the beak wasn't hooked or curved, that's likely not a bird of prey. Birds of prey have specially shaped beaks to tear into their food.

My suggestion would be this. Go to this link, Observations , and change the "Canada" in the locations bar to something more specific. Try your town. Then scroll down the list of birds people have seen in that area. If nothing looks right, either go to the map, zoom out, and hit "redo search in map" to try a slightly larger area, or change the locations bar to your province. INaturalist shows wildlife that people have observed and uploaded, and I find that it can be a good tool for identifying things. You have to hope that someone in your area has observed the species you're trying to identify, but it can work.

If you see a bird on that list that has a similar shape, but entirely different coloration, click on its species entry. It may look different as a juvenile.

 

[Megeli]

If you're sure the beak wasn't hooked or curved, that's likely not a bird of prey. Birds of prey have specially shaped beaks to tear into their food.

My suggestion would be this. Go to this link, Observations , and change the "Canada" in the locations bar to something more specific. Try your town. Then scroll down the list of birds people have seen in that area. If nothing looks right, either go to the map, zoom out, and hit "redo search in map" to try a slightly larger area, or change the locations bar to your province. INaturalist shows wildlife that people have observed and uploaded, and I find that it can be a good tool for identifying things. You have to hope that someone in your area has observed the species you're trying to identify, but it can work.

If you see a bird on that list that has a similar shape, but entirely different coloration, click on its species entry. It may look different as a juvenile.

Thanks so much! After looking it was definitely falcons, probably Merlin’s.

 

[Butty]

it was definitely falcons, probably Merlin’s.

I'm afraid that's just as unlikely - and for the same reasons.