Adult
Juvenile
Description
Size: 16.5”
Plumage/Description: Adult male and female plumage similar, although females are substantially larger than males.Adult plumage includes a dark crown, slaty-blue-gray back and wings, and pronounced horizontal barring on tail, with alternating dark and light bands.Breast is a rich golden-orange color, with extensive fluffy white under-tail coverts.Juvenile plumage is very different from adults.In juvenile phase the head, back and wings are brown, with flecks of white feathers interspersed.The breast has dark brown vertical streaking over a solid white breast.Juveniles have the same barred tail as adults, and also have extensive white in under-tail coverts.
Habitat: Residential, Oak/Chaparral, Pinyon/Juniper, Riparian/Deciduous
Time of year: Year-round
Relative Abundance: Common
Behavior: Cooper’s Hawks are a frequent visitor to backyard bird feeding areas where they hunt for their preferred diet:Gambel’s Quail and Mourning Dove.Cooper’s Hawks are known to drive birds into large picture windows, then swoop down and pick up the either stunned or dead prey.
Diet:Birds, small mammals
Similar species: Sharp-shinned Hawks
Best Sites: Residential settings, Granite Creek Park, Watson Woods, Acker Park
