Sharp-shinned or Cooper's?

Taken this morning at the Savannah NWR. My money is on first year Sharp-shinned Hawk.

I vote coopers because of the rounded tail.

Charlie

Here is a good side by side comparison: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/AboutBirdsandFeeding/accipiterphoto.htm

After looking, I will switch. Juvie Cooper's it is.

This post to tell you what I should have before. It is a really nice shot with head clear of the limbs which they almost never give me.

Looks more like a broad-winged hawk or red-shouldered hawk to me. The tail is too short and the bill too big for Cooper's or Sharpie. My vote is broad-winged, although it seems a bit late for them.

I also believe it's a broad-winged that forgot to head out..
Sandy

Certainly not a red-shouldered and I have big doubts on the Broad-winged as it doesn't have the darker bib on the breast. I think it looks like a classic coopers hawk

I vote Coopers but would like to see the legs.

The tail is too short, the bill too big for juvenile Cooper's Hawk. The overall build of the bird and the dark moustachial mark all indicate juvenile Broad-winged Hawk. In addition, there is very weak banding on the tail, a Cooper's Hawk would exhibit strong banding. Young Broad-winged Hawks can exhibit highly variable patterns of plumage, but the overall shape, tail length, bill size, and the dark moustachial mark are key characteristics. I'm including a shot of an immature Cooper's for comparison.

My conclusion: Juvenile Broad-winged Hawk.

I'm inclined to think Doug and others are right. The tail is very short and lacks banding.

I am going to have to master the posting of photos here, that is all there is too it! I have questions all the time about these juveniles. Particularly this time of year in N. Fla-St. Marks NWR.
thanks for the various explanations and for that link I consider you all as mentors and this is my assignment.
have a Great Thanksgiving
I promise to learn how to post here one day.......LOL
Nick in Tallahassee

Ok, so I clearly don't know what I'm talking about. Here's the ID from the raptor expert himself, Jerry Liguori (author of a couple Raptor ID books)

"Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk....has obvious banding in the secondaries and primaries when perched, evenly-streaked underbody where the streaks are quite broad or "blobby", and a pale brown eye."

So, there you have it. Nice find Phil and thanks for the fun discussion

That's a good call by Jerry, I didn't link the banding on the primaries/secondaries with my ID, but I see it now and after looking at my juv. broad-winged hawk images, I agree with him! Great discussion!

So—Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk?

Here is another look I did not post because the beak was partially hidden behind a branch. However, it is a better view of the wing and legs.

I think you can label it as a juv. red-shouldered hawk with 100% confidence.

It was a good discussion. We are (I guess) not scientists, but this is the way good science should work.

Charlie

I woudn'' have guessed Red-shouldered, but I'm not going to argue with Liguori.