Identify this raptor please.

[oakeshott]

I'm fascinated by birds and love watching them. I don't think this is in conflict with also being a bird hunter, but more likely a natural result of it. One of my areas of large ignorance, however, is raptors. I'm just terrible at identifying them though they fascinate me.

This morning, I saw the bird you see below on a walk with my dog. He was no more than ten feet away from us and refused to fly away in spite of either my proximity or the Jay that was abusing him. Can any one identify what he or she is? And please share also the identifying traits you use to determine that. Thanks.



And and here's another pic without the zoom.

 

[Shiloh]

My guess is that it's a Cooper's Hawk.

Raptors are a challenge to ID -- especially with just one photo. They also have many "phases" and even regional variations.

But...my guess is a Cooper's...

 

[dws]

Sharp-shinned? Hard to tell with only one pic. Hard to tell if it's even a hawk. Could be a falcon, but my guess is sharp-shinned. Your eyesight was probably much better than what your camera could pick up, so see if the pic below is what you saw.

Here's a Sharp-shinned.... The pattern on it's tail and length of it are why I think so. That and the distinct white on it's breast and throat.

 

[oakeshott]

Could it be a juvenile bird?

The outline of the bird looked more like the Coopers.

 

[dws]

Could it be a juvenile bird?

The outline of the bird looked more like the Coopers.

Cooper's and Sharp-shinned are pretty similar. I'd say it's one of the two. The upright posture looks like a Cooper's, but the distinctions (White almost ringing it's neck) looks like a Sharp-shinned. Both share the same (or very similar) tail feather pattern. Anyway, neat experience to have a stare down with one, no doubt!

 

[BigFoot]

If you were in Virginia I would lean more to the Coopers Hawk. Here is a Coopers and Sharp-Shinned side by side.

 

[oakeshott]

Cooper's and Sharp-shinned are pretty similar. I'd say it's one of the two. The upright posture looks like a Cooper's, but the distinctions (White almost ringing it's neck) looks like a Sharp-shinned. Both share the same (or very similar) tail feather pattern. Anyway, neat experience to have a stare down with one, no doubt!

It really was a staredown. Because of years of hunting and fishing, I've had lots of encounters with raptors of all sorts, but never had one give me the hairy eyeball from 10 feet away. It was so odd, that in retrospect, I'm worried it might have been injured. It may not have been much for the bird, but the encounter sure made my day.

If you were in Virginia I would lean more to the Coopers Hawk. Here is a Coopers and Sharp-Shinned side by side.

I am in Virginia and the pics you posted show some subtle marking differences on the head between the two that lean me toward the Coopers.

 

[Jim]

My vote is coopers based on the nape and the overall "impression". Experienced birders have a hell of a time with the Birds of prey so you are in good company .

You asked how to start IDing them..

This chart illustrates some broad categories to start from. You can see from below we are discussing Accipiters.

 

[dws]

It really was a staredown. Because of years of hunting and fishing, I've had lots of encounters with raptors of all sorts, but never had one give me the hairy eyeball from 10 feet away. It was so odd, that in retrospect, I'm worried it might have been injured. It may not have been much for the bird, but the encounter sure made my day.

Awesome! I used to have a lot of predatory birds on my old property in the span of a day. They're truly remarkable. As an aside to your encounter, I had a 15 second stare down with a snowy owl in my tree stand just this past Fall. It was probably the most incredible experience I've ever had in nature. It wasn't injured, as it just swooped in. It was staring at me as if it was thinking "you weren't here before". It was a majestic feeling!

 

[oakeshott]

Great chart, Jim. Thanks for that. You guys reminded me of my favorite birding story.

Years ago I worked on a bird migration project (as a volunteer) and got to know Bill Sladen, a fairly prominent ornithologist. He didn't care much for my duck hunting, but otherwise we got along well. He told me about a time he was in the arctic with Roger Tory Peterson and one morning Peterson woke up rather disconcerted. Bill asked him what was wrong and Roger said he'd had a horrible, horrible nightmare. He'd dreamed that he couldn't identify a common grackle. That's what counts as a nightmare in those circles.

 

[Black Adder]

I'm leaning towards a Cooper's, but a female sharp-shinned and a male Cooper's can be so similar in size that it can be very difficult to tell them apart.

It's an adult bird. Shiloh's photo shows an accipiter in juvenile plumage.

It is not a falcon.

Both types of accipiters visit my yard throughout the year. They're looking for a quick kill around my feeder stations.

Don

 

[rboyd365]

looks like some type of kite (maybe Mississippi kite) or northern harrier. Lots of good links out there. Could probably even email pic to state fish and game website.

 

[Black Adder]

looks like some type of kite (maybe Mississippi kite) or northern harrier.

Sorry, it's neither of those. That is an accipiter and I'm really leaning towards a Cooper's.

Don

 

[BSAGuy]

I'm no bird watcher and thus can't help with ID. I would just default to "hawk." I had no idea there were so many varieties. Very cool bird in any case. Raptors rock.

 

[dpittman70]

I'm no bird watcher and thus can't help with ID. I would just default to "hawk." I had no idea there were so many varieties. Very cool bird in any case. Raptors rock.

I was coaching my son's coaches' pitch baseball team this past Saturday. He plays at The YMCA and there are 8 fields on the campus of The Y. There were probably 5 hawks circling around the fields. The fields are surrounded by woods but the hawks were circling the baseball fields. Two of them were very close to the field on which we were playing and I could see the markings on the bottom side of the hawks.

 

[coyotewhisper]

I was taught rounded tail meant Coopers and a squared tail meant a Sharp Shinned. Also a Cooper appears to be leaner and taller.
Personally I would id it as a Cooper.

 

[Captain Pre-Capsize]

We always have resident Coopers hawks here and a real tell tale is the type of flight. Several flaps and a glide; several flaps and a glide - all the while zooming in and out among broken tree lines. Seem about the size of a crow.

 

[beginish]

My vote is coopers based on the nape and the overall "impression". Experienced birders have a hell of a time with the Birds of prey so you are in good company .

You asked how to start IDing them..

This chart illustrates some broad categories to start from. You can see from below we are discussing Accipiters.

It would be helpful if they had one based on pics of birds sitting on a tree branch.