Hi All,
As a new member i'd like to say hello and tell everyone how much I enjoy the body of work here at NPN.
That said, I have some images of this raptor I'm having trouble Identifying. It has a compound fracture of a toe on it's left foot that didn't seem to bother him/her much.
Thanks in advance
Neil Rossmiller
Hoytsville, Utah
Posted by Luke Ormand on November 5, 2009 at 9:06 AM
I vote for sharp-shinned based on the banded tail, markings on the breast and its diminutive size. Cooper's hawks are basically a larger version of this. Also, this is a really nice phto, aside from the big stick coming out of its back
Posted by Drew Fulton on November 5, 2009 at 10:27 AM
Welcome Neil!
I'm going to side with Luke here. The streaking on the breast looks good and the size looks right. My one hesitation is that Sibley suggests that the white tip of the tale on a Cooper's is more pronounced than on the Sharp-shinned and thats a pretty big chunk of white. He also points that out in flight and not in the sitting pose, for what its worth. Ultimately, I'd call it a Sharp-shinned Hawk. Nice image too.
Drew
Posted by Brad Hill on November 5, 2009 at 11:15 AM
Neil,
I'm with Luke on this, based on the same reasons he stated. Only other choice would be a male Cooper's Hawk (in most raptors the males are smaller than the females) - there is size overlap between male coopers and female sharp-shins. Do you have a good handle on the size of the bird - didn't see anything about it in your original post.
Here are a couple more images. Size is roughly 12 inches. The dried aspen leaves in the ground shot are approx. 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 inches.
It was chasing a scrub jay around the base of the service berry tree (Saskatoon) that we have a feeder hanging in. He made several attempts over the course of several days. Sometimes for an hour at a time then leaving and returning. The Jays would run around the base and not flush, successfully avoiding capture.
Thanks everyone,
Jim-Ron Dudley told me you would know.
neil
Posted by Luke Ormand on November 5, 2009 at 2:13 PM
In addition to all the reasons stated, the fact that it was chasing a scrub jay and hanging out around the feeder are also very good indicators it's a sharp shinned as they are known for visiting backyards and waiting for birds filling up on seed.
Posted by Nick Saunders on November 5, 2009 at 4:46 PM
Hey guys, not wanting to tread on Jims toes, this is actually a juvenile Sharp-shinned. The adults have red eyes.
Good diagnostics for this species opposed to Cooper's include the smaller head and tail that ends in a squarish tip.
Hope this helps !
Thanks Fred,
Great image and very helpful. My education continues.
neil
Posted by Brian Gatlin on November 7, 2009 at 10:40 PM
I'd agree with the sharp-shinned ID here. The fairly dense streaking on the breast, the spindly legs, and the rather short tail all suggest sharp-shinned over cooper's. although one of the outer tail feathers looks a little shorter than the central ones, it still has a mostly square tailed (sharpie) look.
for age, the streaked breast (in addition to the eye) makes it a juvenile. For both sharp-shins and cooper's, the juvies have brown streaked breasts, adults have orangish barring.
Posted by Vicki Kadow on November 15, 2009 at 5:15 PM
Discussion
13 repliesAs a new member i'd like to say hello and tell everyone how much I enjoy the body of work here at NPN.
That said, I have some images of this raptor I'm having trouble Identifying. It has a compound fracture of a toe on it's left foot that didn't seem to bother him/her much.
Thanks in advance
Neil Rossmiller
Hoytsville, Utah
I'm going to side with Luke here. The streaking on the breast looks good and the size looks right. My one hesitation is that Sibley suggests that the white tip of the tale on a Cooper's is more pronounced than on the Sharp-shinned and thats a pretty big chunk of white. He also points that out in flight and not in the sitting pose, for what its worth. Ultimately, I'd call it a Sharp-shinned Hawk. Nice image too.
Drew
I'm with Luke on this, based on the same reasons he stated. Only other choice would be a male Cooper's Hawk (in most raptors the males are smaller than the females) - there is size overlap between male coopers and female sharp-shins. Do you have a good handle on the size of the bird - didn't see anything about it in your original post.
Cheers...
Brad
It was chasing a scrub jay around the base of the service berry tree (Saskatoon) that we have a feeder hanging in. He made several attempts over the course of several days. Sometimes for an hour at a time then leaving and returning. The Jays would run around the base and not flush, successfully avoiding capture.
Jim-Ron Dudley told me you would know.
neil
Good diagnostics for this species opposed to Cooper's include the smaller head and tail that ends in a squarish tip.
Hope this helps !
Neil
Great image and very helpful. My education continues.
neil
for age, the streaked breast (in addition to the eye) makes it a juvenile. For both sharp-shins and cooper's, the juvies have brown streaked breasts, adults have orangish barring.