Cooper's Hawk

October 20, 2016, at Jericho Park

Cooper’s Hawks are excellent fliers prey on medium-sized birds and small mammals. Rural Cooper’s Hawks use their flying prowess to navigate dense woods. They are often city-slickers as well; the buffet of doves and pigeons in urban areas is too delicious to resist.

Cooper’s Hawks have banded tails and are about the size of a crow. They are notoriously hard to tell apart from Sharp-shinned Hawks, which are smaller and have quicker wingbeats. This one is a juvenile, with her brown head and streaked breast, but adults have orange and gray plumage. I saw her at Jericho Park, where she was being harassed by a handful of crows.