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Your ID help needed

Discussion

4 replies
Posted by Joseph Jupin on October 21, 2010 at 3:13 PM
Your ID help needed
This was taken near a fresh water pond in southern NJ. I think it is an immature Cooper's Hawk. I think it was too large to be a Sharp-shinned Hawk.
Posted by Joseph Jupin on October 21, 2010 at 3:23 PM
another view
Posted by Richard Teller on October 21, 2010 at 7:40 PM
It is a Coopers. The rounded tail is distinct for Coopers. A Sharpie has a square tail.
Posted by Jim DeWitt on October 22, 2010 at 1:14 AM
Specifically, a sub-adult Cooper's Hawk. An adult would have a red-orange eye.
Posted by David Graham on October 22, 2010 at 2:11 PM
Jim,
I'm unaware of the difference between a "sub-adult" Cooper's and a juvenile, since the molt to adult plumage and acquisition of the red iris are coincident events. Any falconer, raptor veterinarian, or rehabilitator who has maintained first-year (juvenile, coarsely vertically-stripped breast, yellow-gray-tan-iris) Cooper's hawks into their second year (1st adult, finely horizontally stripped breast, red-iris) can attest to this.

Dave Graham
East River, SD