How to tell a cooper's hawk from a sharp-shinned Hawk
One of the nice things about trees with no leaves is that it is easier to see the birds in the trees. One of the birds we have found in Lambert Park is a Cooper's Hawk. Another is a Sharp-Shinned Hawk (Sharpie). They are both medium sized hawks that are so similar that even experts have a hard time telling them apart! With the help if iNaturalist web site, we've been able to find and identify one of each right here in Alpine.
The Cooper's Hawk is more barrel chested and has a more rounded tip of the tail, where as the Sharpie has a narrower body below the waist and a squared off tail tip. The Cooper has sturdy legs, while the Sharpie has thin "bird legs." The eyes are closer to the beak in the Cooper, and more centered in the Sharpie. The juveniles have yellow eyes and the adults have red eyes in both species. There are many websites that try to help tell the difference between these birds. Although these two birds have been verified by iNaturalists experts, we're not sure we believe them. Maybe you have an opinion and would like to give us your thoughts...
The Cooper's Hawk is more barrel chested and has a more rounded tip of the tail, where as the Sharpie has a narrower body below the waist and a squared off tail tip. The Cooper has sturdy legs, while the Sharpie has thin "bird legs." The eyes are closer to the beak in the Cooper, and more centered in the Sharpie. The juveniles have yellow eyes and the adults have red eyes in both species. There are many websites that try to help tell the difference between these birds. Although these two birds have been verified by iNaturalists experts, we're not sure we believe them. Maybe you have an opinion and would like to give us your thoughts...
