Skip to Content
Abert’s Towhee Acadian Flycatcher Acorn Woodpecker Alder Flycatcher Allen’s Hummingbird Altamira Oriole American Avocet American Bittern American Black Duck American Coot American Crow American Dipper American Golden-Plover American Goldfinch American Kestrel American Oystercatcher American Pipit American Redstart American Robin American Three-toed Woodpecker American Tree Sparrows American White Pelican American Wigeon American Woodcock Anhinga Anna’s Hummingbird Arctic Tern Arizona Woodpecker Ash-Throated Flycatcher Atlantic Puffin Audubon’s Oriole Bachman’s Sparrow Baird’s Sandpiper Baird’s Sparrow Bald Eagle Baltimore Oriole Band-tailed Pigeon Bank Swallow Barn Owl Barn Swallow Barred Owl Barrow’s Goldeneye Bay-breasted Warbler Bell’s Vireo Belted Kingfisher Bendire’s Thrasher Bewick’s Wren Black Guillemot Black Oystercatcher Black Phoebe Black Rail Black Rosy-Finch Black Scoter Black Skimmer Black Swift Black Tern Black Turnstone Black Vulture Black-and-white Warbler Black-backed Woodpecker Black-bellied Plover Black-bellied Whistling-Duck Black-billed Cuckoo Black-billed Magpie Black-capped Chickadee Black-capped Vireo Black-chinned Hummingbird Black-chinned Sparrow Black-crested Titmouse Black-crowned Night-Heron Black-footed Albatross Black-headed Grosbeak Black-legged Kittiwake Black-necked Stilt Black-throated Blue Warbler Black-throated Gray Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Black-throated Sparrow Blackburnian Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Blue Grosbeak Blue Jay Blue-footed Booby Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Blue-headed Vireo Blue-throated Hummingbird Blue-winged Teal Blue-winged Warbler Boat-tailed Grackle Bobolink Bohemian Waxwing Bonaparte’s Gull Boreal Chickadee Boreal Owl Botteri’s Sparrow Brandt’s Cormorant Brant Brewer’s Blackbird Brewer’s Sparrow Bridled Titmouse Broad-billed Hummingbird Broad-tailed Hummingbird Broad-winged Hawk Bronzed Cowbird Brown Booby Brown Creeper Brown Pelican Brown Thrasher Brown-capped Rosy-Finch Brown-headed Cowbird Brown-headed Nuthatch Buff-bellied Hummingbird Buff-breasted Flycatcher Buff-breasted Sandpiper Bufflehead Bullock’s Oriole Burrowing Owl Bushtit Cackling Goose Cactus Wren California Condor California Gull California Quail California Thrasher California Towhee Calliope Hummingbird Canada Goose Canada Jay (Previously Gray Jay) Canada Warbler Canvasback Canyon Towhee Canyon Wren Cape May Warbler Carolina Chickadee Carolina Wren Caspian Tern Cassin’s Auklet Cassin’s Finch Cassin’s Kingbird Cassin’s Sparrow Cassin’s Vireo Cattle Egret Cave Swallow Cedar Waxwing Cerulean Warbler Chestnut-backed Chickadee Chestnut-collared Longspur Chestnut-sided Warbler Chihuahuan Raven Chimney Swift Chipping Sparrow Chuck-will’s-widow Chukar Cinnamon Teal Clapper Rail Clark’s Grebe Clark’s Nutcracker Clay-colored Sparrow Cliff Swallow Colima Warbler Common Eider Common Gallinule Common Goldeneye Common Grackle Common Ground-Dove Common Loon Common Merganser Common Murre Common Nighthawk Common Pauraque Common Poorwill Common Raven Common Redpoll Common Tern Common Yellowthroat Connecticut Warbler Cooper’s Hawk Cordilleran Flycatcher Costa’s Hummingbird Couch’s Kingbird Crescent-chested Warbler Crested Caracara Crissal Thrasher Curve-billed Thrasher Dark-eyed Junco Dickcissel Double-crested Cormorant Dovekie Downy Woodpecker Dunlin Dusky Flycatcher Dusky Grouse Eared Grebe Eastern Bluebird Eastern Kingbird Eastern Meadowlark Eastern Phoebe Eastern Screech-Owl Eastern Towhee Eastern Whip-poor-will Eastern Wood-Pewee Elegant Tern Elf Owl Emperor Goose Eurasian Collared-Dove Eurasian Tree Sparrow Eurasian Wigeon European Starling Evening Grosbeak Ferruginous Hawk Field Sparrow Fish Crow Flammulated Owl Florida Scrub-Jay Forster’s Tern Fox Sparrow Franklin’s Gull Fulvous Whistling-Duck Gadwall Gambel’s Quail Gila Woodpecker Gilded Flicker Glaucous Gull Glaucous-winged Gull Glossy Ibis Golden Eagle Golden-cheeked Warbler Golden-crowned Kinglet Golden-crowned Sparrow Golden-crowned Warbler Golden-fronted Woodpecker Golden-winged Warbler Grace’s Warbler Grasshopper Sparrow Gray Catbird Gray Flycatcher Gray Kingbird Gray Partridge Gray Vireo Gray-cheeked Thrush Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch Great Black-backed Gull Great Blue Heron Great Cormorant Great Crested Flycatcher Great Egret Great Gray Owl Great Horned Owl Great Kiskadee Great-tailed Grackle Greater Pewee Greater Prairie-Chicken Greater Roadrunner Greater Sage-Grouse Greater Scaup Greater White-fronted Goose Greater Yellowlegs Green Heron Green Jay Green-tailed-towhee Green-winged Teal Groove-billed Ani Gull-billed Tern Gunnison Sage-Grouse Gyrfalcon Hairy Woodpecker Hammond’s Flycatcher Harlequin Duck Harris’s Hawk Harris’s Sparrow Heermann’s Gull Henslow’s Sparrow Hepatic Tanager Hermit Thrush Hermit Warbler Herring Gull Hoary Redpoll Hooded Merganser Hooded Oriole Hooded Warbler Horned Grebe Horned Lark Horned Puffin House Finch House Sparrow House Wren Hudsonian Godwit Hutton’s Vireo Inca Dove Indigo Bunting Ivory-billed Woodpecker Juniper Titmouse Kentucky Warbler Killdeer King Eider King Rail Kirtland’s Warbler Ladder-backed Woodpecker Lapland Longspur Lark Bunting Lark Sparrow Laughing Gull Lawrence’s Goldfinch Lazuli Bunting Le Conte’s Sparrow Le Conte’s Thrasher Least Bittern Least Flycatcher Least Grebe Least Sandpiper Least Tern Lesser Black-backed Gull Lesser Goldfinch Lesser Prairie-Chicken Lesser Scaup Lesser Yellowlegs Lewis’s Woodpecker Limpkin Lincoln’s Sparrow Little Blue Heron Loggerhead Shrike Long-billed Curlew Long-billed Dowitcher Long-eared Owl Long-tailed Duck Louisiana Waterthrush Lucifer Hummingbird Lucy’s Warbler MacGillivray’s Warbler Magnificent Frigatebird Magnificent Hummingbird Magnolia Warbler Mallard Mangrove Cuckoo Marbled Godwit Marsh Wren Masked Duck McCown’s Longspur Merlin Mew Gull Mexican Jay Mississippi Kite Montezuma Quail Mottled Duck Mountain Bluebird Mountain Chickadee Mountain Plover Mountain Quail Mourning Dove Mourning Warbler Mute Swan Nashville Warbler Neotropic Cormorant Northern Bobwhite Northern Cardinal Northern Flicker Northern Fulmar Northern Gannet Northern Goshawk Northern Harrier Northern Hawk Owl Northern Mockingbird Northern Parula Northern Pintail Northern Rough-winged Swallow Northern Saw-whet Owl Northern Shoveler Northern Shrike Northern Waterthrush Northwestern Crow Nuttall’s Woodpecker Oak Titmouse Olive-sided Flycatcher Orange-crowned Warbler Orchard Oriole Osprey Ovenbird Pacific Golden-Plover Pacific Loon Pacific-slope Flycatcher Painted Bunting Painted Redstart Palm Warbler Pectoral Sandpiper Pelagic Cormorant Peregrine Falcon Phainopepla Philadelphia Vireo Pied-billed Grebe Pigeon Guillemot Pileated Woodpecker Pine Grosbeak Pine Siskin Pine Warbler Pinyon Jay Piping Plover Plain Chachalaca Plumbeous Vireo Prairie Falcon Prairie Warbler Prothonotary Warbler Purple Finch Purple Gallinule Purple Martin Purple Sandpiper Pygmy Nuthatch Pyrrhuloxia Razorbill Red Crossbill Red Knot Red Phalarope Red-bellied Woodpecker Red-breasted Merganser Red-breasted Nuthatch Red-breasted Sapsucker Red-cockaded Woodpecker Red-eyed Vireo Red-faced Warbler Red-headed Woodpecker Red-naped Sapsucker Red-necked Grebe Red-necked Phalarope Red-shouldered Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Red-throated Loon Red-winged Blackbird Reddish Egret Redhead Ring-billed Gull Ring-necked Duck Ring-necked Pheasant Rock Pigeon Rock Ptarmigan Rock Sandpiper Rose-breasted Grosbeak Roseate Spoonbill Roseate Tern Ross’s Goose Rough-legged Hawk Royal Tern Ruby-crowned Kinglet Ruby-throated Hummingbird Ruddy Duck Ruddy Turnstone Ruffed Grouse Rufous Hummingbird Rufous-capped Warbler Rufous-winged Sparrow Rusty Blackbird Sabine’s Gull Sage Sparrow Sage Thrasher Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow Sanderling Sandhill Crane Sandwich Tern Savannah Sparrow Say’s Phoebe Scaled Quail Scarlet Tanager Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Scott’s Oriole Seaside Sparrow Sedge Wren Semipalmated Plover Semipalmated Sandpiper Sharp-shinned Hawk Sharp-tailed Grouse Short-billed Dowitcher Short-eared Owl Slate-throated Redstart Smith’s Longspur Smooth-billed Ani Snail Kite Snow Bunting Snow Goose Snowy Egret Snowy Plover Solitary Sandpiper Song Sparrow Sooty Grouse Sora Spotted Owl Spotted Sandpiper Spotted Towhee Sprague’s Pipit Spruce Grouse Steller’s Jay Stilt Sandpiper Summer Tanager Surf Scoter Surfbird Swainson’s Hawk Swainson’s Thrush Swainson’s Warbler Swallow-tailed Kite Swamp Sparrow Tennessee Warbler Thick-billed Murre Townsend’s Solitaire Townsend’s Warbler Tree Swallow Tricolored Heron Tropical Kingbird Trumpeter Swan Tufted Puffin Tufted Titmouse Tundra Swan Turkey Vulture Upland Sandpiper Varied Bunting Varied Thrush Vaux’s Swift Veery Verdin Vermilion Flycatcher Vesper Sparrow Violet-green Swallow Virginia Rail Virginia’s Warbler Warbling Vireo Western Bluebird Western Grebe Western Gull Western Kingbird Western Sandpiper Western Screech-Owl Western Tanager Western Wood-Pewee Western-Meadowlark Whimbrel White Ibis White-breasted Nuthatch White-crowned Pigeon White-crowned Sparrow White-eyed Vireo White-faced Ibis White-headed Woodpecker White-rumped Sandpiper White-tailed Hawk White-tailed Kite White-tailed Ptarmigan White-throated Sparrow White-throated Swift White-tipped Dove White-winged Crossbill White-winged Dove White-winged Scoter Whooping Crane Wild Turkey Willet Williamson’s Sapsucker Willow Flycatcher Willow Ptarmigan Wilson’s Phalarope Wilson’s Plover Wilson’s Snipe Wilson’s Warbler Winter Wren Wood Duck Wood Stork Wood Thrush Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay Worm-eating Warbler Wrentit Yellow Rail Yellow Warbler Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Yellow-billed Cuckoo Yellow-billed Magpie Yellow-breasted Chat Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Yellow-headed Blackbird Yellow-rumped Warbler Yellow-throated Vireo Yellow-throated Warbler Zone-tailed Hawk

Cooper’s Hawk

These Hawks are known for their hunting skills and agility.

The Cooper’s Hawk is a medium-sized hawk and they’re one of the most skillful fliers!

They have the classic hawk shape, with long tails and wide, rounded wings. Cooper’s Hawks heads appear to be large.

It can be hard to see Cooper’s Hawks because they prefer to stay in and around the woods. If you do manage to see one you’ll probably find it quickly moving through cluttered tree canopies in pursuit of other birds.

These birds can be hard to identify due to how similar they look to other birds.

 

Identification

Male and female Cooper’s Hawks look identical. They all have thick bands on the tail, are steely blue-gray above, and have warm reddish bars on their underparts.

You can tell the difference between a male and a female by looking at their size. These birds are larger than Sharp-shinned Hawks and are about the size of a crow.

Cooper's Hawk

Females are larger in size, and because of this, they weigh more and have a larger wingspan. Juvenile Copper’s Hawks look different to the adults. They’re mostly brown above and have well-defined streaks on the upper breast.

Juvenile Cooper’s Hawks are easier to identify because they look less like a Sharp-shinned Hawk. Juvenile Cooper’s Hawks have a somewhat hooded look, while young Sharp-shinned Hawks’ have streaking that’s more diffused.

 

Food

Cooper’s Hawks diet mainly consists of other birds. They don’t usually go for smaller birds; they prefer medium-sized birds. Some bird species with the Cooper’s Hawk as a predator are Mourning Doves, Rock Pigeons, European Starlings, American Robins, Northern Flickers, quail, chickens, and pheasants grouse, and several kinds of jays.

cooper's hawk

Cooper’s Hawks like to eat hares, chipmunks, mice, bats, squirrels, and even rob other birds nests too. In the west, mammals are a larger part of the Cooper’s Hawks diet. They’ve been known to take advantage of backyard bird feeders. They will sit and wait on nearby trees and seize the opportunity to ambush a squirrel or bird on the ground.

If you notice a Cooper’s Hawk hanging around your feeders or have seen feathers on the ground, it’s recommended you take them down for a few days. This will prevent birds from coming, and the Cooper’s Hawk will move on.

 

Nesting and Eggs

Cooper’s Hawks will build their nests in dense woods in either oak trees, Douglas-firs, pine trees, beeches, or spruce trees. Their nests are usually placed in trees that are on flat ground instead of hillsides. Nests are usually 25 to 50 feet off of the ground and are on a horizontal branch or in a critch about two-thirds of the way up the tree.

Male Cooper’s Hawks are the ones to build the nest, with a little bit of help from the female. It takes them around two weeks. Nests are 6 to 17 inches high, 27 inches wide, and have a cup shape in the middle. The cup shape is usually around 8 inches wide and 4 inches deep. The outer part of the nest is made from sticks and the cup is lined with green twigs and bark chips.

  • Clutch size can be anywhere from 2 to 6 eggs.
  • Cooper’s Hawks have 1 brood.
  • Egg length can be anywhere from 1.7 to 2.0 inches (4.4 to 5.1 centimeters).
  • Egg width can be anywhere from 1.4 to 1.6 inches (3.5 to 4 centimeters).
  • Incubation periods can range from 30 to 36 days.
  • The nestling period can be anywhere from 27 to 34 days
  • Eggs can range in color from pale blue to bluish-white.

 

Current Situation

Cooper’s Hawks are forest birds, but they have also been seen hanging out in the suburbs. These tall and thin hawks are a common sight in quiet neighborhoods, parks, backyard feeders, and over fields. They’ve even been seen by busy streets if there are trees around.

Cooper's Hawk

Cooper’s Hawk populations have been on the rise since the late 1960s. Their estimated breeding population is one million. They’re rated 7 out of 20 on the Continental Concern Score which means this species of hawk is of low concern.

The stable population rise is a turnaround from the mid-twentieth century. At that time, there was widespread use of a pesticide called DDT, which made its way into their food and poisoned them. Additionally, the widespread shooting of these birds greatly reduced the population. Today, the primary cause of death for these birds is collisions with human-made objects.

 

Facts

  • In a study of over 300 Cooper’s Hawk skeletons, 23 percent of those skeletons showed old fractures in the bones of the chest. Many of the fractures were on the wishbone and furcula. It’s theorized that these fractures are from dashing through vegetation at high speeds to catch other birds.
  • A Cooper’s Hawk captures its prey (usually another bird) with its feet. It then kills its prey by repeatedly squeezing. Falcons tend to kill their prey by biting it, but Cooper’s Hawks hold their catch until it dies. Cooper’s Hawks can even drown their prey, while holding them from their feet. They’ll hold the bird underwater until it stops moving.
  • It was once thought that these birds were against towns and cities. However, Cooper’s Hawks are now seen in urban and suburban birds. Some studies have even suggested that their numbers are actually higher in towns than in forests. Cities provide plenty of prey like Rock Pigeons and Mourning Doves. However, a study in Arizona found a downside to Cooper’s Hawks eating so much dove meat. Cooper’s Hawk nestlings were contracting a parasitic disease from eating dove meat.
  • Like most hawk species, male Cooper’s Hawks are noticeably smaller than the females. The danger is that female Cooper’s Hawks specifically eat medium-sized birds. The males tend to be submissive to the females and will listen for reassuring calls the females make when they’re willing to be approached. Males are the ones to build the nest and provide nearly all the food to females and young.
  • The oldest recorded Cooper’s Hawk was a male. He lived to be at least 20 years and 4 months old. He was originally captured and banded in California in 1986. The bird  was later found in 2006 in the state of Washington.

 

Similar Species

The Cooper’s Hawk has features that are similar to other bird species. Here are some similar species:

 

sharp-shinned-hawk

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Cooper’s Hawks have larger and more square heads than Sharp-shinned Hawks.

Cooper’s Hawks look like they have a cap on their head, thicker legs, and larger feet.

Juvenile Cooper’s Hawks have well-defined brown streaks on their chest while Sharp-shinned Hawks have broad, blurry streaks that go down onto the belly.

Lastly, Cooper’s Hawks have rounded tails while Sharp-shinned Hawks have square-tipped tails.

 

Northern Goshawk (Juvenile)

Northern Goshawk © Alan D. Wilson

Northern Goshawk

Cooper’s Hawks are significantly smaller than Northern Goshawks. Adult Goshawks have shorter tails, are completely gray with a strong white eyebrow, and have longer wings than Cooper’s Hawks.

Juvenile Goshawks have a pale eyebrow, irregulely barred tail, and wide streaks on yellowish-brown underparts which helps identify it compared to a juvenile Cooper’s Hawks which has an evenly banded tail and whiter underparts.

 

Broad-winged Hawk

Broad-winged Hawk

Broad-winged Hawk

Broad-winged Hawks don’t have the “cap” that Cooper’s Hawks do.

Additionally, they have shorter tails, and rounder, longer wings.

 

 

 

Peregrine Falcon

Peregrine Falcon

Peregrine Falcon

Cooper’s Hawks have rounder wings than adult Cooper’s.

Cooper’s Hawks have rusty barring while Peregrine Falcons have dark gray barring.

Lastly, Cooper’s Hawks have red eyes while Peregrine Falcons have brown eyes with yellow eyerings.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is it called a Cooper’s Hawk?

Cooper’s Hawk was named after William Cooper by Charles Bonaparte in 1828. William Cooper was the person who collected the specimens that were used to describe the species.

Is it rare to see a Cooper’s Hawk?

Cooper’s Hawks are not rare, but they are stealthy. To see one, you need to keep your eyes peeled. It doesn’t help that they’re smaller than other hawks because it makes them harder to see.

What kills a Cooper Hawk?

Hawks are pretty high on the food chain, but larger birds like eagles are a treat to them. One of the biggest killers of these birds is pesticides. Pesticides infiltrate the food chain and reach predatory animals like hawks in high concentrations.

Are Cooper’s Hawks smart?

Yes, Cooper’s Hawks are very smart! They’ve been known to hide themselves in a nearby tree and wait. Instead of hunting down prey they’ll wait for a chance to ambush them.

About the Author

Brianna Goulet

Brianna loves to get outdoors for everything creative and fun. She has a passion for birds and is a hobbyist wildlife photographer based in Central Florida. Her goal is to share everything you need to know about birds so you can get out there, explore, and identify confidently!

Let others know your thoughts or ask an expert

Would you like to get new articles of birds (Once a month?)

No SPAM! We might only send you fresh updates once a month

Thank you for subscribing!

No thanks! I prefer to follow BirdZilla on Facebook