Cf. Cooper’s Hawk<\/em><\/strong>.<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 Distinguishing Sharp-shinned from Cooper\u2019s Hawk is one of the classic identification puzzles for birdwatchers in North America.\u00a0 Adults show some consistent differences, but juveniles of the two species may appear essentially identical.<\/p>

Cooper\u2019s is larger in all dimensions\u2014including having proportionately larger head, bill, wings, tail, and body girth\u2014but female Sharp-shinned approaches the size of male Cooper\u2019s, and many situational factors can distort the perception of an individual bird\u2019s size, as well as the size of specific features.<\/p>

Depending on the observation conditions, potentially useful distinctions include:<\/p>

Crown Color:<\/u> Adult Cooper\u2019s has a blackish crown that usually contrasts with its paler nape, whereas Sharp-shinned\u2019s crown and nape typically do not contrast with one another.\u00a0 On a perched Cooper\u2019s, the blackish crown is often immediately apparent, making identification easy in such cases.<\/p>

Tail Shape and Length:<\/u> Sharp-shinned\u2019s tail is essentially square-tipped, whereas on Cooper\u2019s the central rectrices are longer than the outer retrices, so the tip appears rounded.\u00a0 The difference is often most noticeable on a bird in flight, seen from below\u2014but when the tail is spread, this distinction disappears, as both appear rounded.\u00a0 Feather wear and molt stage can affect tail shape, so some Cooper\u2019s may show square-tipped tails.\u00a0 Both species are long-tailed, but Cooper\u2019s\u2019 is longer.\u00a0 (Note that counting tail bands is rarely helpful due to individual variability within both species.)<\/p>

Head Shape:<\/u> Sharp-shinned\u2019s head is proportionately small and rounded, whereas Cooper\u2019s\u2019 larger head has a more angular, squarish profile, often giving it a crested appearance.<\/p>

Bill and Forehead:<\/u> Cooper\u2019s has a larger bill and cere, with a deeper base that merges with its forehead, whereas Sharp-shinned has a more vertical forehead and narrow-based bill, resulting in a more indented profile.<\/p>

Wing Length and Shape:<\/u> Cooper\u2019s has proportionately longer wings and tends to extend them straight and perpendicular to its body, whereas Sharp-shinned tends to hold its shorter wings in a bowed posture, pressed forward from the shoulder and bent back at the wrist\u2014but these are general tendencies, not absolute distinctions, and both species sometimes hold their wings in the fashion typical of the other.<\/p>

Flight Pattern:<\/u> Sharp-shinned tends to flap its wings vigorously in flight, whereas Cooper\u2019s flies with fewer flaps and more gliding.<\/p>

Body Mass:<\/u> Generally, Cooper\u2019s is robust and Sharp-shinned is svelte, an overall impression that is sometimes distinctive.<\/p>

Plumage Coloration:<\/u> Adult Cooper\u2019s typically has medium-gray upperparts and evenly barred orange underparts.\u00a0 Many adult Sharp-shinned have essentially the same plumage as Cooper\u2019s, but Sharp-shinned is far more variable, so atypically colored birds are almost always Sharp-shinned.\u00a0 The plumages of juveniles appear to have no consistent differences between the two species, and approximately the same range of variation, leaving size and shape as the principal distinctions.<\/p>

Habitat:<\/span> Sharp-shinned breeds mainly in coniferous northern and montane forests, whereas Cooper\u2019s breeds in various forest types, mostly more southerly and at lower elevations than Sharp-shinned.\u00a0 Cooper\u2019s has largely adapted to suburban habitats year-round, whereas Sharp-shinned occurs in such areas mainly on migration and in winter.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t