Hawk ID
Mar 12, 2014 11:01:46 #
Yesterday I looked out my back window and noticed a bird of prey sitting on top of my covered fountain. The photo is just as it came out of my camera. I have looked in several bird books and on the internet and cannot match him up with any. He his composition looks like a falcon and he stands about 8-10" tall. Does anyone know who he or she might be? Location is the Midwest.
Wish I knew who!
Mar 12, 2014 11:10:02 #
hamtrack wrote:
Yesterday I looked out my back window and noticed a bird of prey sitting on top of my covered fountain. The photo is just as it came out of my camera. I have looked in several bird books and on the internet and cannot match him up with any. He his composition looks like a falcon and he stands about 8-10" tall. Does anyone know who he or she might be? Location is the Midwest.
By the size that you have indicated, I would say it's a Sharp-shinned Hawk. Coopers hawk is similar in color but generally larger.
Mar 12, 2014 11:22:19 #
I tried to match him or her to both, but the coloring is much different. Maybe the bird is going through the change. Thanks
naturepics43 wrote:
By the size that you have indicated, I would say it's a Sharp-shinned Hawk. Coopers hawk is similar in color but generally larger.
Mar 12, 2014 12:10:06 #
Looks like a Coopers or sharp-shinned to me.
A Coopers is usually crow-sized; the sharp-shinned is more jay-sized.
A Coopers is usually crow-sized; the sharp-shinned is more jay-sized.
Mar 13, 2014 06:22:19 #
Mar 13, 2014 14:32:06 #
I would say sharp-shinned. I referenced 'Complete Birds of North America' - National Geographic. Here is what they have to say -'Sharpies have a rounded head, with a noticeable "notch" in the profile where the forehead meets the bill. A Cooper's has a flatter crown, the profile from crown to bill is smooth and continuous.' This picture of the hawk you have here looks as if it does have a 'notch' where the forehead meets the bill. Make your own decision.
Mar 13, 2014 15:07:05 #
I want to thank all for their input. We live in a midtown location of Omaha NE and it is very urban in composition. One might think that animals from the wild would be scarce. Not so. Wild Turkeys strut the neighborhood as if they were residents. A Mountain Lion was spotted 8 blocks from our home. Deer are often seen in our yards and of course the dreaded rabbits that think our gardens are their cafe. I harvest rabbits and possum annually. The annual record is 13 possum and 33 rabbits, but I can't convince my wife to fix a wild dinner. Last year, a hawk swooped down in our yard and dispatched a squirrel. It may have been the same bird under consideration here.
Mar 14, 2014 00:57:12 #
I don't know what kind of hawk it is, hamtrack, but he sure is a beauty! Glad you got that shot!
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