Cooper’s Hawk, Accipiter cooperii

Cooper’s Hawk, Accipiter cooperii, Juvenile. Photograph taken at last light within a residential community of the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, March 2021. Identification courtesy of Julie McGhee, Loma Linda, California.

Cooper’s Hawk, Accipiter cooperii, Juvenile. Photograph taken in Oaks Hills, California, June 2020. Photograph and identification courtesy of Julie McGhee, Oak Hills.

Cooper’s Hawk, Accipiter cooperii. Photograph taken in Oaks Hills, California, November 2023. Photograph and identification courtesy of Julie McGhee, Oak Hills.

Cooper’s Hawk, Accipiter cooperii, Juvenile. Photographs taken in the coastal region of Orange County California, June 2020. Photographs and identification courtesy of Dr. Tom Bartol, Carlsbad, California.

Cooper’s Hawk, Accipiter cooperii. Photograph taken within a residential community in Hereford, Arizona, November 2020. Photograph and identification courtesy of Bob Behrstock, Sierra Vista, Arizona (naturewideimages.com).

Cooper’s Hawk, Accipiter cooperii. Photograph taken in the greater Bahía de los Ángeles area, Baja California, February 2013. Photograph courtesy of George Flicker, Bahía de los Ángeles. Identification courtesy of Mary & George Flicker, Bahía de los Ángeles.

Background and Identification

Cooper’s Hawk, Accipiter cooperii, is a member of the Accipitridae Family of Eagles, Hawks, and Kites, which has two hundred and fifty members placed in sixty-nine genera, and one of forty-seven global species of the Accipiter Genus. They prey upon medium-sized, shrub- and ground-dwelling birds and mammals such as chipmunks, doves, jays, robins, songbirds, and other rodents. They are inconspicuous and have become the most common backyard raptor across North America. They are known in Mexico as gavilán de Cooper.

The Cooper’s Hawk is a medium-sized raptor with similar plumage across sexes. This species exhibits sexual dimorphism, females are about one-third larger than males. Usually, males are more brightly colored. The hawk’s crown is blue-gray, transitioning to a lighter nape, while its back and upper wing coverts range from brown to blue-gray. Its underparts are distinctly barred with rufous in a neat, aligned pattern. The species is known for its short, powerful, rounded wings and a relatively long tail marked by three alternating dark and light bands, typically blue-gray or brown, with a white margin. The iris of the Cooper’s Hawk is a striking orange or red, and its legs are bright yellow.

Habitat and Geographical Range

Cooper’s Hawk is found in deciduous, mixed, and coniferous forests and deciduous stands of riparian habitat at elevations between 600 m (1,950 feet) and 3,000 m (9,850 feet). They have recently moved into areas of human development including suburban and urban areas.

Cooper’s Hawk breeds in the forests of the United States, southern Canada, and northern Mexico. They are found throughout Mexico, except in the State of Chiapas and within the Yucatán Peninsula in the States of Campeche, Quintana Roo, and Yucatán.

Common Misidentifications

The Cooper’s Hawk is often confused with the Bicolored Hawk, Accipiter bicolor, which is found only in Tamaulipas and the Yucatan Peninsula and has dark streaking and barring. It can also be mistaken for the smaller Sharp-shinned Hawk, Accipiter striatus, which has a less rounded tail and a thinner white tail margin. Another similar species is the Northern Goshawk, Accipiter gentilis, which is larger, has a less rounded tail, and features zigzag-patterned rectrices.

Conservation Perspective

From a conservation perspective Cooper’s Hawk is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable or expanding widely distributed populations. Historically, their populations have been adversely affected by shooting, trapping, and pesticide contamination.