Shranexis0
New member
What are the physical differences between the Northern Goshawk, the Sharp Shin, and the Cooper's Hawk, including color? They all look the same to me!
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Question about Hawks (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Shranexis0
- Start date
Jacamar
Well-known member
Hi Shranexis0, Welcome to BirdForum!
Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks are quite similar and can be difficult to identify. Here's a site that shows the best ways to seperate them.
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/AboutBirdsandFeeding/accipiterIDtable.htm
The Northern Goshawk, instead of having a rusty-barred breast, has fine grey barring on most of the underparts and a bold white "eyebrow" which neither of the other two hawks have. If seen well, the Northern Goshawk shouldn't be difficult to seperate from the other two Accipiters.
Cheers,
Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks are quite similar and can be difficult to identify. Here's a site that shows the best ways to seperate them.
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/AboutBirdsandFeeding/accipiterIDtable.htm
The Northern Goshawk, instead of having a rusty-barred breast, has fine grey barring on most of the underparts and a bold white "eyebrow" which neither of the other two hawks have. If seen well, the Northern Goshawk shouldn't be difficult to seperate from the other two Accipiters.
Cheers,
Larry Lade
Moderator
Difference in size can be clue: Sharp-shinned (small), Cooper's (medium) and Goshawk (large). Unfortunately, there is some overlap a female Sharp-shinned being the size of a male Cooper's. The Sharp-shinned also has a more "squared off" tail, while the Cooper's is more rounded.
Some people end up calling some of the accipiters they see a "shooper's" hawk, because of the difficulty separating these two sometimes!
Some people end up calling some of the accipiters they see a "shooper's" hawk, because of the difficulty separating these two sometimes!
Larry Lade
Moderator
Hi Shranexis,
I see this is your second post so an official welcome is in order.
From all the BirdForum Moderators and Administration, Welcome!
We are glad to have you join us in our appreciation of nature, especially wild birds.
I see this is your second post so an official welcome is in order.
From all the BirdForum Moderators and Administration, Welcome!
We are glad to have you join us in our appreciation of nature, especially wild birds.
Shranexis0
New member
Thanks for that link! I'll have to study these hawks more closely. The only difference I noticed at first sight was the shape of the head and beak.