It’s difficult to tell the difference between Sharp-shinned Hawks and Cooper’s Hawks, and both like to hunt near bird feeders. This buzzkill kept birds away from my backyard for most of this week.
Sharp-shinned Hawks are smaller than Cooper’s hawks (about the size of a Mourning Dove), however, female sharpies can be as big as a male Cooper’s Hawk, so there goes that metric!
Another comparison is the tail. Sharp-shinned Hawks have a squared-off tail whereas Cooper’s Hawks usually have a round tip. And the amount of white on the end is more pronounced on a Cooper’s Hawk.
When that fails you can look at the head. Sharpies have a small head in comparison to their bodies, which is definitely the case with this bird. Cooper’s Hawks have a large head in comparison with their bodies.
Based on the square tail, the fringe of white on the edge and the small head I’m marking this visitor down as a female Sharp-shinned Hawk (she is bigger than a Mourning Dove).
I hear Sharp-shinned Hawks squealing in our neighborhood from time to time, but often I discover that it’s really a Blue Jay doing a perfect imitation of a Sharp-shinned Hawk. It’s a clever way to quickly clear the other birds from the feeder!
