8 replies to this topic

[ajf180]

This was taken Jan 31st in northern Utah's mountains. There are tons of red-tails around here, but this one was much smaller and not quiet the right color. I tried to get a front pic of it but alas, it flew off of course. It's breast has a rust color.

[Sparky the Cuttlefish]

This is actually an Accipiter species, and from the dark nape and overall posture and shape, I'd say that this is a Sharp-shinned Hawk.

[BarnSwallow]

I agree with sharpie. A juvenile red-tailed would have a more finely barred, shorter tail, and would be the same size as an adult. A female juvenile would even be bigger than an adult male.

[ajf180]

Ok! Now I see it. Thank you so much!

[renitiadb]

OK so I have to ask: how could you tell Sharp Shinned and not Coopers??? Aren't they nearly identical? The only way I can ever tell them apart is the call.

[Pat B.]

OK so I have to ask: how could you tell Sharp Shinned and not Coopers??? Aren't they nearly identical? The only way I can ever tell them apart is the call.

It's not easy. Here's a good site with comparison data: http://www.allaboutb...Coopers_Hawk/id. They are not, of course, identical; but sometimes it seems that way. You can also do what I did: look at every single thread on WhatBird that asks the question, look at the photo and study it, and then read the answers. After you do that, then when another thread pops up, look at the photo & try to make the ID yourself before reading the answers.

[Cavan Wood]

In this particular case the ID is made by the relatively uniformly coloured crown to nape to back. In cooper's, the nape is much paler in an adult like this one. Also, the dark grey/black of the crown includes the eye, which isn't always the case in sharp-shinned but is never the case in cooper's. The head is small and rounded and has a proportionally big eye. The posture is that of a old man slouching, and the tail is rather short. All but the first would not be diagnostic on their own, but together they make this essentially open and shut.

[Cari Bear]

Nice!

[ajf180]

Nice!

hey! I know you!!!! Funny running into you here!