Cooper's Hawk

Media
large gray and white bird perching on a black branch
Scientific Name
Astur cooperii (syn. Accipiter cooperii)
Family
Accipitridae (hawks and eagles) in the order Accipitriformes
Description

The Cooper’s hawk has short, rounded wings and a long, rounded-tipped tail usually with a wide white terminal band. They are larger than sharp-shinned hawks and have a relatively larger head, longer tail, and thicker legs. Adults are blue-gray above, with rusty horizontal barring below. Immatures are brown above, with brown streaking on the breast. May be misidentified as an immature American goshawk, which has thin brown streaks on the undertail coverts that are lacking in Cooper’s hawks. In flight, Cooper’s hawks alternate flapping and gliding and have a steadier flight than that of sharp-shinned hawks.

Size

Length: 15-18 inches (tip of bill to tip of tail).

Where To Find
Cooper's Hawk Distribution Map

Statewide. As rare summer resident, statewide, except possibly absent as a breeder in the unforested areas in the Mississippi Lowlands.

Cooper's hawks are forest and woodland birds but are also common in city parks and neighborhoods with trees. They may also forage along hedgerows and fields. 

Cooper's hawks mainly eat birds. Common prey items include starlings, mourning doves, pigeons, robins, jays, northern flickers, quail, pheasants, and chickens. They may take chipmunks, mice, squirrels, and other small mammals. 

They are agile fliers and capable of pursuing and catching other birds in flight, and they may visit bird feeders in winter to prey on birds attracted to the area. They fly swiftly, emerging from the cover of trees and shrubs, surprising their prey. 

Uncommon migrant and winter resident; rare summer resident.

Life Cycle

Cooper's hawks nest in pines, oaks, and other trees. Nests are built of sticks and lined with flakes of bark and small twigs, usually about 25 to 50 feet high in the crotch of the tree or on a level branch. Males build the nest and provide almost all the food for the female and nestlings. 

Clutches comprise 2–6 eggs, with 1 brood a year. Incubation lasts 30–36 days, and the young fledge after another 27–34 days.

Cooper's hawks are naturally drawn to areas where their prey abound, so they often learn to hunt birds attracted to backyard bird feeders. If a hawk is hunting birds at your bird feeder, and you don't like it, you can take down your feeders for a few days or a couple weeks, and the hawk will move somewhere else.

Cooper's and sharp-shinned hawks belong to the group of hawks called accipiters which specialize in hunting other birds. Their long tails and short broad wings allow them to maneuver through tree branches in pursuit of avian prey. 

Cooper's hawks, once thought to avoid towns and cities, now are common in urban and suburban habitats. In some areas, they are more common in town than in the surrounding forests. 

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About Birds in Missouri

About 350 species of birds are likely to be seen in Missouri, though nearly 400 have been recorded within our borders. Most people know a bird when they see one — it has feathers, wings, and a bill. Birds are warm-blooded, and most species can fly. Many migrate hundreds or thousands of miles. Birds lay hard-shelled eggs (often in a nest), and the parents care for the young. Many communicate with songs and calls.

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