How to ID Cooper's and Sharp-shinned Hawks: NARRATED 

Ah yes, we see the Coop's catch our doves too. After I made this movie, I even got one blurry clip of a Coop chasing a dove across the yard. Doves are so fast once they get going that I figured that one would survive. Interesting screen name, Communist Vulture. I'll bet there's a story behind it.

An adult hit our window yesterday and stunned itself. It sat there for twenty minutes before it left, and I had ample time to see that the Coop had a cap. It's not that the Cooper's doesn't have any gray on its neck, but it's a lighter gray than the head. I'm glad you watched this one, Russ. I think it has very useful info for someone like you, who's out in the woods a lot.

I read this when you posted it and thought I had responded. Now I see that I didn't. I just want to let you know that I enjoyed hearing from you, partly because, of course, I always like to hear one of my videos praised, but also because I enjoyed sharing your delight in the experience. Thanks for commenting.

I am fascinated with the pair that lives behind my work ❤ my boss tells me to quit staring out the windows and start cleaning 😂

@@NaeBallz8891 in a way, I wish we had them living where I could see them the way you do. But if we did, a lot more of the birds we feed would die. I guess I’ll just have to be content with what I’ve got. Enjoy them!

Sorry to be so slow responding, Susan; apparently I missed your comment when you posted it. I enjoyed reading about your experience with the Cooper’s Hawk. Last week I was filming from a blind when one arrived and stalked through undergrowth hoping to flush prey. I got most of the episode on film and plan to include it in a film I’ll post this Friday about White-throated Sparrows.

It pleases me to know that this movie helped you so much. And thanks for letting me know that you appreciate the way I narrate. Yeah, that "Coop has a cap" is easy to remember and unmistakable as a field mark if you can just get a look at it. To this day, on the other hand, I get mixed up about which species has thick streaks and which species has thinner ones. That's a valuable field mark, since I see more juvies than adults, but it's not as easy to keep straight which bird has which striping. So anyway, you've got an adult Cooper's, huh? There might come a day when you see that hawk kill or eat a bird. And by the way, before I did this movie, I made one just about the Cooper's Hawk. And misidentified a Sharpie as a Cooper's. It might be good practice for you just to see if you can pick out the case of mistaken ID.

Same with me! It was in my sprinkler and large water dish (birds prefer it on the ground rather than a traditional birdbath 🙄). This information was the most helpful I’ve found.

I always like to hear that this movie has helped someone I.D. these hawks. Thanks for letting me know.

Thank you for the praise of this video. And no, I haven't managed to get any audio of the hawks. 😕

Yes, it almost sounds like sharpest, an easy clue to help you remember.

Your thanks are my reward for the work. I appreciate you writing to let me know how helpful this was.

Too bad. The hawk's gotta eat. And I'm sure seeing it was the highlight of your day, something to remember.

I am happy to hear you found it useful, and I wish you luck telling them apart.

You're welcome, Eleonora. It's praise like what you just offered me that keeps me motivated to do my best job on every script. Right now I'm working on a video about a huge flock of Cedar Waxwings demolishing the berries on a Holly tree. I'll keep you in mind as I fine tune the narration. 😊

It’s always a thrill to see one of them. We feed so many birds that we get Coopers and sharpies in the yard regularly during the cold months. I just wish they’d give me some warning so that I could get a good action shot of them going after prey. But in that respect, they are uncooperative.

I'm happy to hear that the movie is useful. Thanks for letting me know. As for your chipmunk problems, Cooper's hawks will be glad to help out. So will Red-tailed Hawks.

Apparently you got a good look at the hawk then, cause that's what it takes to have any assurance about the I.D.

Thank you. They visit our yard so often that they make it possible to get video of them--or at least of them sitting still. Their attacks are so sneaky and fast that the only footage I've gotten is blurry and distant.

I appreciate your comments, Cathy. Praise for this video means the most when it's coming from someone like you, who I know to be serious about identifying birds correctly. Making this movie was tough--too much info to handle! But I'm glad I tackled it because I learned so much. I'm way better at recognizing these hawks now than I was a month ago. The shot I used to show an immature Sharpie with an eyebrow had been sitting in my video library for a couple of years--and I had it labeled as a Cooper's! Of course, I still can't tell which one I'm seeing more than half the time, but at least I know that, in my confusion, I'm in good company.

So glad you tackled the major differences and made the video while acknowledging the difficulties. I will use your video as a resource and who knows I might possibly one day spot a Sharpie. : )

Cathy, you have no idea how much I like the idea that someone will be using this movie as a reference work. It makes the effort that went into the movie worth it.

I haven't had a chance to notice what you describe about the Sharpie's zigzagging flight in the wind. Thanks for pointing it out.

@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME I wasn't very good in my description, I guess I meant 'wind-tossed' for Sharpies, at ridge top Fall hawk migration sites the Sharpies come over in large numbers and the task is to differentiate the relatively few Coopers from the swarms of Sharpies, difficult as they zoom past at high speed and often very low

Thanks for writing and letting me know how much you enjoyed the movie. I also did one just about Cooper's Hawks before I made this video. You might like to watch it, especially since I mistakenly labeled a Sharpie as a Cooper's in it. (I wouldn't have made that mistake after I made this movie. Doing it taught me a lot.)

My pleasure. I also have one that's just about the Cooper's hawk, if that interests you.

I love hearing that the movie was helpful. Thanks for telling me.

Thank you, Jean. I recently bought a Nikon P1000. It's a still camera that will also do video, and it gives me 3-4 times the distance of any camcorder I have--thus the closeups of the Cooper's. Boy howdy, do I know what you mean about struggling with identification. I've been amazed (and disheartened) by how often those clues don't work--a Sharpie's head looks squarish at the back or a Cooper's streaks look thick. Sometimes even a Cooper's cap looks like a gray Sharpie neck to me. As for the wingbeats, that was my husband's contribution. He's a much more experienced birder than I am. Even so, with all the frustrations I still have, making the movie taught me enough to give me more confidence about IDing these hawks. Thanks one last time for contributing your footage to the movie.

You and the Nikon do a wonderful job. My camera is for photos and not so great for video. Not being able to tell them apart is a nice problem as hawks were very rare when we were kids.

I wasn't paying any attention to birds when I was a kid, Jean, so I can't speak as to that. But seeing them now is a thrill.This afternoon, a Sharpie scattered all the birds in our yard and lit fairly close, close enough that we could see he was Bluejay size. Then the actual Bluejays arrived to mob him. Wish I could have gotten the camera on it all in time, but I wasn't fast enough. The hawk flew before I could locate him. Still, I mean, what fun! Thank you for the compliment on my camera work. I never have as many quality shots as I would like, but I enjoy putting the film together to tell a story. And most of the footage is good. I enjoy seeing it over and over as I piece together the final film.

Oh, I love hearing that from someone that I know pays serious attention to birds. Thanks for telling me, Kate.

Thank you for taking the time to say so. You're not the first to comment on my calming voice. What's funny is that I never thought about my voice one way or another until I started narrating these videos and viewers pointed it out.

It's funny. I almost dreaded undertaking this little project, because those two hawks do so confound me. And they still do, but not nearly as much. In the end, I enjoyed what I learned, and I'm being rewarded doubly by hearing from people that they find this video useful.

Jeremy, you have no idea how much your comment pleased me. I like the idea that this movie will be a reference work for you! As for the confusion you described, do I ever hear you! I learned so much from making this movie--and I'm still unsure at least half the time when I see one of these hawks or look at a picture of one.

Helpful and funny, those were exactly what I was aiming for. Looks like I hit the mark, and I thank you for telling me so.

I know from experience what a thrill that is, and what's nice is how long they sometimes sit--as much as half an hour. Could you see its cap? Or was it an immature?

Jo Alwood adult male. thanks for the cool video!!

Thanks. I'm glad you found it useful. I guess you got to see the Coop's cap then, huh? By the way, I did a film just about the Cooper's hawk that I bet would interest you: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-R48CXL1hxls.html

Is he an immature or an adult? In making this film, I learned about the eyebrow on immatures, and that helped me rename some of the footage I had thought was of Cooper's Hawks. And of course, knowing about the gray on the back of the adult Sharpie is very useful info.

@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME I think he is an adult I haven't seen him yet today. There is a big trumpet vine buy my barn that sparrows love to hang out in and that's why he comes and sets on our fence post yesterday there was a pile of sparrow feathers at the base of it so I imagine he caught one

If he's catching sparrows, that points toward a Sharpie. Not that a Cooper's wouldn't take a sparrow, but they prefer larger prey, like Mourning Doves or Robins. Maybe you'll manage to get a look at the back of his neck, huh?

Glad to hear this helped. What field marks were most useful?

One more thing I'd like to say is that before I made this film I made one just about the Cooper's Hawk. Take a look. (ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-R48CXL1hxls.html) and when you do, notice the hawk at the three minute mark. That's borrowed footage, and both the videographer and I misidentified it. Can you see two field marks that we should have noticed?

We've had a Cooper's coming to the yard every day for the last week or two. I'll be making another movie that will include some gorgeous close-up shots of his head jerking attentively and even one shot of him pursuing a Mourning Dove. I feel sorry for the birds they catch but awed by their predatory majesty.

You know that old-time expression "to warm the cockles of my heart"? Well, that's what your compliment does for me. Thank you, Julie.

Kristy Noble I don’t know how to tell them apart by their calls. These must be mature hawks, So your best bet for ID is a look at the cap on the head. The main thing I have to say is enjoy them!!

Oh, I know what you mean. I'm WAY more than 9,000 sightings short of being competent to evaluate which species I'm seeing. LOL. but I did learn a lot from making this movie, and I'm pleased to hear that you did too.

Yeah, Jimmi, they're something. A Sharpie sat in one of our trees yesterday and gave me gorgeous shots of him jerking his head in every direction, looking for prey. Fun!

Sounds like you already knew most of what I had to say about it, and the main thing is how hard it is to tell the difference! We're not rural either--pure suburban, and we get them all the time.

I do appreciate hearing that, Nate. I got lots better at telling them apart as a result of making this movie. And by the way, since you're interested in Cooper's hawk, maybe you haven't seen the movie I did about that species: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-R48CXL1hxls.html

You're not the first one to tell me that this film helped identify the hawk in someone's yard, and each time I've read that kind of comment, I've thought, "That is SO cool." I really like knowing that the video helped. Thanks for telling me.

"Who knows?" you say. Of course I understand that! At least you knew it was a juvenile and had good reason to suspect Sharpie.

You and me both, Hank. Just because I know the differences doesn't mean I can usually tell which one I'm seeing.

Oh, you said it! These hawks plus warblers and gulls? I despair of keeping them straight. In fact, with gulls, I barely even try.

By making this film, I finally got sort of competent at telling them apart. Only sort of, though, which is about all anybody is.

Hmm, white breast doesn't sound like a Sharpie. He would be streaked on white or orange barred.

And Happy 2019 to you too, Annemieke. I just bought a new camera that gives me 3-4 times the distance I had been able to get and then a Cooper's hawk lit on the wall around our patio and stayed put for half an hour. I got some of the footage with the camera I had been using, but then I switched to the new one for the super closeups. Man! When you see that bird's fierce face fill the screen, he is so impressive!

Now that you've bothered to learn about these two hawks, Thomas, I hope you get to see them once in awhile. It's true that the Red-tails are easier to spot--they patrol the skies looking for squirrels and rabbits. The Cooper's and the Sharpie, though, are basically woodland birds. However they show up in our yard, because we have so many birds at the feeders.

I watch 'live' bird cams a lot on my computer. cams.allaboutbirds.org/channel/40/Cornell_Lab_FeederWatch_Cam/

Very cool, no doubt they were Harriers and pretty sure they do cooperate, as they fly close to the ground and flush out prey

Thanks for the compliment. Like you, I know the feeling of puzzling over that ID! I learned a lot about how to tell them apart by doing this movie. ... But still, I often can't be sure.

Well dadgummit, I can't answer you! Much as I enjoy corresponding with commenters, I can't type right now because I just had carpal tunnel syndrome repaired. All I can do is paste this explanation and hope that maybe sometime in September I can type again.

Your comment is a first: the only poem anybody has ever supplied me on this channel. By the way, I'm a retired English teacher, who appreciates creative use of language, especially "Cocksure chickadees wince themselves small."

Thanks, Michelle.

On the juveniles, I find the eyebrow about as useful as anything else; on the adults, the cap on a Cooper's often helps me out. Anyway, good luck with the I.D.s, Gina.

KuroReanimation you’re a discerning observer of these two birds then. I can’t say I’ve noticed those differences, but I’ll be on the lookout.

Yes, sometimes the size difference is obvious. We saw a Cooper's hawk in the yard a few days ago. It must have been a female, because she was obviously too large to be a Sharpie.

I wish you a close look at one of them and satisfaction at identifying him!

I'm glad to hear you found the film useful, Lily. You're not on the North American continent, then?

Jo Alwood no I’m in England!

Sorry, but that is one topic I haven't covered. Your best bet would be to google it. You can find anything on the net.

It was probably a Bald Eagle.

First off, I don’t know the answer. But red tailed hawks are about as variable as they come. For what that’s worth.

@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME I know Redtail's for sure see them every day soring over my muck fields, but this one is different, Thanks anyway

@@douglasbattjes3991 Sorry I couldn't be any more helpful than that. I asked my husband about it because he's so much more knowledgeable about birds than I am. What I offered as advice was his best guess.

I don't know what it was either, but I sure got a kick out of your frustration and your yielding to it in the end. Thanks for that.

Of course you're still confused, Lisa. All you can hope for is to once in awhile know which one you're seeing. Five minutes ago, we saw a Sharpie being mobbed by Bluejays. We knew he was a Sharpie because he was so close to the house that we could tell he was Bluejay size and because he was the same size as the jays mobbing him. It was exciting!

I wish I could answer your question, but all I can do is say WOW!

Like I said, no matter how many clues you know for IDing them, sometimes not knowing is inevitable.

Never heard that.

@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME I believe so yes, coopers eyes closer to bill and sharps more centred, closer to nape than coopers. great video, learned so much. Ive subscribed and loving the other videos here. thanks,!

@@Optimumhealthandfitness 😊😘

Well, my explanations are just good enough to help out if you get a good, close look at one of these hawks. But much of time, I'm thoroughly confused ... and I'm not even kidding. But anyway, I'm glad you thought the vid was useful. Thanks for commenting.

Fun story, Diogenes. Do they interbreed? Not as far as I know, but I doubt if I know any more about it than you do. 🤔

That's new info for me about the line on a Sharpie's leg. Would you post a link here to a video that shows that line?

@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME It's a ridge of sorts, you can feel it when you rub their legs. Just RU-vid search old school hawking sharpies, that will bring all the sharp-shinned hawk videos up.

@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME Sorry Jo, it's been so long since I added a link to a comment, I forgot how. The only way I can explain a Sharp-shin's leg, instead of being roundish, it's almost like a triangle. Does that make sense?

@@oldschoolhawking8191 I looked at Anthony's New Sharpie but couldn't see the legs well enough to discern what you mean.

@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME Yeah I know, that's why I tried to explain the shape of their legs, they're hard to describe. There's a couple of other videos with John Wolfe and his two Sharp-shins. You probably can't see their legs up close on those videos either. But I hope you get the idea of why they were named Sharp-shinned Hawks. Thanks for watching Jo. OSH :-)

Love the "Uhmm, I think", David!

@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME You wont know......Ive actually had a sharp shin and a coppers hawk family here at the house living for the past 5-10 years breeding. I know they are different birds only because of pictures I take. But when i see them buzzing the treelines or the bird feeders Its impossible to tell which one of the families it is unless i snap a pic and then go stare at it for 30mins racking my brain studying the photos I just took lol btw great vid i learned a few new things to look out for now

Their calls are different, though I don't know enough about it to tell you how they differ. But it would be easy to google their calls. Go for it.

My husband uses a Nikon P900, Ron, which is excellent for that purpose. Most of the footage in my movies for the last year has come from a Nikon P1000. It's slightly larger than the 900. If I were you, I'd look at both of them. If you choose one of them, let me know how you like it.

@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME thank you very much

My husband also has that red/green deficiency. I guess you learn to deal with it the same way you do traffic lights, hmm? I'll tell you what, that bit of info about the eyebrows on immature Sharpies has turned out to be one of the most useful field marks I learned from making that movie. A couple of days ago, I IDed a Sharpie in a blurry picture on Facebook simply because I could see its eyebrows.

I have no idea about that, Rachel. Sorry.

Which is a much better name for them than Cooper's.

👍

After all I learned making this film, John, these two can still confound me. I think you're right about the Sharp-shinned because it seems to have a bit of white eyebrow and a squared off tail. I'm not as sure about the Cooper's, but I think you're right. The tail looks rounded and the streaking doesn't extend all the way down the breast. That streaking is thick, though, and there's an eyebrow--too much of one? I'd say you're probably right, but I wouldn't put up a stink to defend the ID if someone really good at telling these two apart said it was a Sharpie.

🤷‍♀️ Oh well, I did all I can do.

i went through your videos, you have photographed amazing videos . few months ago i clicked photo of a hawk. i am confused if it was a coopers or sharp shinned. i am trying to identify that bird since last 6 months. a morning a found that hawk sitting side by side with juveniles pigeon. it was of same size as juvenile pigeon. and it wasn't attacking that pigeon. even if he attacked, pigeon would have been escaped easily . cause size were similar. but at the same time on youtube i have seen coopers hawk easily prey on pigeons. they hunt down pigeon easily. i am all messed up. i captured that hawk picture from my phone . is there any place where i can send that pic and you tell me what bird is that? its a humble request to you .

Indeed, I've watched a Cooper's Hawk take a Mourning Dove, which is about the same size as a pigeon. I make no promise that I can identify the hawk in your picture. It will depend on how close and crisp the shot is and also on whether it shows identifying field marks. But I'll try. Send it to my email: joalwo7@gmail.com.