Very Pale Cooper's Hawk?? (Green Valley, AZ) (1 Viewer)

[JohnKoerner007]

Just checking

 

[Deb Burhinus]

Cooper’s indeed - but is it really so pale?

Excellent shot!!

 

[JohnKoerner007]

Cooper’s indeed - but is it really so pale?

Excellent shot!!

Thanks!

I am just used to to their crown being darker w/ more contrast.

 

[Butty]

Yes, Cooper's hawk - showing almost the full set of ID features. The criterion involving crown colour/contrast (to effect separation from sharp-shinned hawk) is that it should be markedly darker than the mantle - which it is here.

 

[nartreb]

Cooper's hawk, seen in partial shade / a cloudy day / camera settings that reduce contrast and make brown/red tones less vivid. I bet that pine branch it's sitting on should be redder/browner too.

Cooper's hawks do show variability in the amount of brown/buff on the cheek, neck, shoulders, and belly. This one probably is paler than most, especially at the cheek, and the cap is on the light side too. But if you look carefully at the shoulder, there's a change in tone there, which I think the camera is not doing justice.

 

[Deb Burhinus]

Cooper's hawks do show variability in the amount of brown/buff on the cheek, neck, shoulders, and belly

Could it be age related too? Some adult raptor species do seem to ‘change’ in appearance the older they get - eg the progressively greying head of Black Kite - the deep red iris may support that too?

 

[birdmeister]

Could it be age related too? Some adult raptor species do seem to ‘change’ in appearance the older they get - eg the progressively greying head of Black Kite - the deep red iris may support that too?

Good point, Deb. Or maybe some areas are mildly bleached due to sun exposure (location in Arizona)?

 

[Deb Burhinus]

Or maybe some areas are mildly bleached due to sun exposure (location ...)

Another good point!

 

[JohnKoerner007]

Good point, Deb. Or maybe some areas are mildly bleached due to sun exposure (location in Arizona)?

No, it was taken "after sunset," @ 6:11 pm.

 

[KC Foggin]

It sure is a terrific image of this Cooper’s !!

 

[Deb Burhinus]

No, it was taken "after sunset," @ 6:11 pm.

Birdmeister is referring to the general climate.

Birds in hotter regions get bleached quicker than birds in more northerly regions - ie if all Cooper’s in fresh plumage start off the same colour, the ones in eg Arizona will suffer greater feather bleaching from the sun than a Cooper’s from Michigan for example during the course of a season until the next moult.

Btw - the after sunset shot has produced an amazing light on the subject (flash?)

 

[JohnKoerner007]

I think Birdmeister is referring to the general climate.

Birds in hotter regions get bleached quicker than birds in more northerly regions

I see.

It's only just begun to get hot here, over the last 3-4 days.

Last week, it was still in the high-30s / mid-40s at night, 60s to 70s by day.

It's now in the 80s and 90s

 

[njlarsen]

John,
to elaborate a little further: the cumulative effect of sun over a long period of time is stronger the closer you are to the equator and I believe, also more if you are in a dry climate. It is an effect like pouring bleach over something. So when Deb was referring to hotter she was meaning temperature as a year average due to the proximity to equator.

Niels

 

[JohnKoerner007]

John,
to elaborate a little further: the cumulative effect of sun over a long period of time is stronger the closer you are to the equator and I believe, also more if you are in a dry climate. It is an effect like pouring bleach over something. So when Deb was referring to hotter she was meaning temperature as a year average due to the proximity to equator.

Niels

I really appreciate the time each of you put in to educate us neophytes, thank you! 😊