Id this bird

[gws]

My son took this picture today, Anyone ID the bird? Some sort of bird of prey, hawk or falcon.

 

[Nasty135]

Looks like a coopers hawk according to this site /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Hopefully the page will load , it was quite long...

BTW, nice picture /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[cag]

Gary, I love the way the bird is camouflaged in the tree, my boys are asking if you have more pics on wild life as they enjoyed this one very much. And by the way Nasty, they thank you for the site with the wild life pics from googles... thanks cag

 

[Nasty135]

Cag, Your boys are very welcome /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif , I have a set of 10yr old twin boys that have an excitement for life /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Kinda gives you a boost when the Old enthusiasm well runs a little low... /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif Its great when they think your the smartest Dad in the world .... About 5 more years for me and it will all change /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[DAP]

Hard to say for sure because there is no scale available from the picture to size that bird ... and the bottom part of his tail is cut off in the pic ... a field mark required to positively ID the bird .... A Cooper's hawk is a possible guess but so is a Juvenile Goshawk or even a Merlin .... really tough to say .... I can say what its NOT real easy though!

LOL

 

[Michigan_Mike]

It could also be a Sharpshin hawk.
They look identical to the Coopers, but are a bit smaller.

 

[coopers]

Based on its size, it's an immature cooper's hawk. A little hard to tell if its female or male, looks like it could be a female. A sharp-shinned hawk has pencil thin legs, and their eyes are too big for their head. If we could see the tail we would also be able to tell, cooper's have a long rounded tail while the sharpies's is sqauirsh with a notch in it. A goshawk is a very large accipiter (family the cooper's and sharpies belong in) and the male goshawks are the size of a big female cooper's hawk. Merlins are very small falcons, the biggest of it's supspecies being the prairie or richardson's merlin. Here's a pic. of a merlin vs. a cooper's hawk in flight.

Blake
WA

 

[coopers]

Here's a merlin up close, a richardson's merlin.

Blake
WA

 

[coopers]

Here's an adult goshawk, the juv. look similar to cooper's like the original one at the begining of this thread, but they change color when adults like this. Notice how large it is compared to the mourning dove.

Blake
WA

 

[coopers]

Finally, here's one of a sharpy (sharp-shinned hawk). Both are immature birds. This one with its wings open is I belive a male based on its size. Notice how small it is and its squared tail. You can also see its left eye and how large it seems for its head.

Blake
WA

 

[coopers]

Last one of a sharpy sitting.

Blake
WA

 

[rswyan]

The other morning this guy was sitting on the juniper bush outside the kitchen window, eating his breakfast (one less rodent to worry about around here /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif)

Sorry the picture isn't any better - the digicam has a limited zoom and I shot it thru the window screen besides.

 

[rswyan]

Another.

Anybody know what he is ?

 

[Michigan_Mike]

Blake,
Great pictures. Based on those, it looks like what we have here is a Coopers.
We also have a Merlin visit here once in a while.
Kind of fun watching the other birds scatter when ieither of them show up.

 

[Farwell]

Gary,
My guess would be a Northern Goshawk usually found in the Northern United States and Southern Canada, but can be found further South if food gets scarce in their normal habitat.
Farwell

 

[DAP]

Blake, is that branch that the bird is pirched on an inch thick? 1/2 inch thick? 2 inches?

We cannot size this bird based on the pic as there is no scale.

Consider this a pissing contest.

/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[coopers]

rswyan, that picture of yours is a cooper's hawk. Adult bird, looks like a female.

Here's another picture of a goshawk so not to be confused. This is an immature male, notice how large he is compared to my buddies hand? I'll post another pic of an adult.

Blake
WA

 

[coopers]

Actually I won't post another pic. of an adult gos, but here's an immature cooper's hawk. Notice the similarities in the plumage to the one Gary posted?

Oh, and Doug, they're 2" thick branches! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Blake
WA

 

[coopers]

Michigan_Mike- Yeah, birds know that they must get out quick or freeze quick! Both are very superb bird hunters both extremely fast and agile. They're a blast to watch hunt, both have very unique hunting techniques and both have big attitudes! /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

Blake
WA

 

[turbo36]

Is there a bird feeder close to where you saw this Hawk? We have a Coopers hawk that hangs around our feeders. One day I was by the picture window and he landed on the deck railing about 10" from me, pretty impressive. But not as impressive as the Bald Eagle that hunts our shorline on a regular basis in the winter and spring, our cottage is on a bank that is 15-20' above the lake and he will glide at eye level sometimes /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif.