By Sally Siko

Pleased to spot both Coopers and Sharp-shinned Hawks while birding in the Raleigh NC area last month!

Coopers Hawk

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Whenever I happen to photograph either species I’m faced with the conundrum of figuring out which bird is in my viewfinder.
Because of the similarities in plumage between the two, there’s no single characteristic that can easily be used to distinguish between them.
Instead I do my best to consider several features, including relative size, head shape, neck feathers and tail feathers. 

One of the first things to note when trying to tell whether a particular bird is a Cooper’s hawk or a sharp-shinned hawk is the size. Cooper’s hawks are about 6 inches bigger than sharp-shinned hawks.
A good rule of thumb is that Cooper’s hawks are similar in size to a crow, while sharp-shinned hawks are closer in size to a blue jay.
Head size can also be a telling feature of these birds as well.
The Cooper’s hawk has a more prominent head that is block-like and dome-shaped, while a sharp-shinned hawk has a smaller, more rounded head.
Still, unless you have a banana handy (for scaling purposes lol) the overall size of the bird at hand is not a great way to tell the two birds apart.

Neck feathers are another useful ID feature, although it is not always easy to get a look at the nape of a bird’s neck while out in the field.
If you can, though, check the coloring.
A sharp-shinned hawk will have the same dark grayish-blue feathers on both its head and neck, while a Cooper’s hawk’s neck feathers are lighter in color than its head feathers.

Of all the differentiators, my best advice is to check out the bird’s tail. The tail of a Cooper’s hawk is typically rounded, while a sharp-shinned hawk has tail feathers with a straight or flat edge to it.
Lastly though, when in doubt it’s great to ask our fellow big brain birders out there for their thoughts.
There is always value at asking for another perspective on a bird ID.
That’s when the opportunity to learn something new from someone else can add to our own enjoyment in the field going forward.

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding captured on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5