Hawk at feeder, need ID
May 15, 2019 11:28:47 #
Caught this hawk at our feeder. Had to grab camera and shoot through dirty thermopane. One shot and it was gone, heading north. Note the long tail, black beak with yellow near head, yellow foot. As to size: scaled from the feeder the bird is 15 inches, but since the bird is leaning forward, 15 is the foreshortened distance. If the subject is perched 20 deg from vertical the actual length is 15/sin 70 = 16 inches. If the subject is 30 deg off of vertical the actual length is 15/sin 60 = 17.3 inches.
I think it is a northern harrier. This bird has owl like feathers around the eyes. Although this angle is not good to assess that feature, I think they are there. Anyone else have any ideas?
I had to just grab the camera and shoot whatever the settings were: Canon 5dsr, 400mm f/4.0 1/200 f/8 hands held, iso 100.
I think it is a northern harrier. This bird has owl like feathers around the eyes. Although this angle is not good to assess that feature, I think they are there. Anyone else have any ideas?
I had to just grab the camera and shoot whatever the settings were: Canon 5dsr, 400mm f/4.0 1/200 f/8 hands held, iso 100.
May 15, 2019 11:38:38 #
vineyardman
Loc: Florida
I think it’s a “Coopers” hawk. Not sure, one landed on our back fence, and must have been quite tired, it stayed about 15 min.
May 15, 2019 11:47:28 #
vineyardman wrote:
I think it’s a “Coopers” hawk. Not sure, one landed on our back fence, and must have been quite tired, it stayed about 15 min.
A Coopers Hawk has decimated the House Finch flock that visits my Bird feeder.
May 15, 2019 12:15:45 #
Hard to tell from this angle...definitely not a Harrier. Believe it is a juvenile Coopers Hawk based on size and breast streaking...appears to be a rounded tail when tail feathers close. Nice photo none-the-less!!
May 15, 2019 12:46:31 #
vineyardman wrote:
I think it’s a “Coopers” hawk. Not sure, one landed on our back fence, and must have been quite tired, it stayed about 15 min.
Could also be a Sharp Shinned Hawk. Their only difference from a Coopers, is size but if it's a young Coopers, it'll be the same size as a Sharp Shinned. We have a resident Sharp Shinned around our house and it keeps the mourning doves on their toes. I've seen it fly full-speed into the woods around my house and it never hits a branch or makes a sound...amazing.
May 15, 2019 13:25:05 #
frg
I agree.
... that it is an immature male cooper’s (yellow irises rather than the mature ruby red of a mature bird) which can be as small as a large female sharpie. Also, the retrices (“deck” or tail feathers) are progressively shorter as they become more lateral. When the tail is expanded, it would have the rounded end characteristic of a Cooper’s.
A juvenile female sharpie would have larger and broader breast feathers (they look like they are in a suit of feathers two sizes too large ) and tail feathers would be of equal length (“squared-off” tail when expanded).
Dave
fourlocks wrote:
Could also be a Sharp Shinned Hawk. Their only difference from a Coopers, is size but if it's a young Coopers, it'll be the same size as a Sharp Shinned. We have a resident Sharp Shinned around our house and it keeps the mourning doves on their toes. I've seen it fly full-speed into the woods around my house and it never hits a branch or makes a sound...amazing.
I agree.
... that it is an immature male cooper’s (yellow irises rather than the mature ruby red of a mature bird) which can be as small as a large female sharpie. Also, the retrices (“deck” or tail feathers) are progressively shorter as they become more lateral. When the tail is expanded, it would have the rounded end characteristic of a Cooper’s.
A juvenile female sharpie would have larger and broader breast feathers (they look like they are in a suit of feathers two sizes too large ) and tail feathers would be of equal length (“squared-off” tail when expanded).
Dave
May 15, 2019 16:23:15 #
Good shot. if this hawk is wacking the local bird population, put the feeder away until the hawk moves on.
May 16, 2019 05:49:03 #
May 16, 2019 08:23:13 #
you may need to supply more cover around your feeder
letmedance wrote:
A Coopers Hawk has decimated the House Finch flock that visits my Bird feeder.
May 16, 2019 10:35:00 #
foathog wrote:
you may need to supply more cover around your feeder
Moved them to the cover of the patio.
May 16, 2019 11:39:18 #
jederick wrote:
Hard to tell from this angle...definitely not a Harrier. Believe it is a juvenile Coopers Hawk based on size and breast streaking...appears to be a rounded tail when tail feathers close. Nice photo none-the-less!!
Picture taken 2 wks ago in southeastern Wisconsin. Tail is to rounded for a harrier. juvenile Cooper's seems correct. How long does juvenile plumage persist. This bird must be a year old.
May 16, 2019 12:01:28 #
birds generally have a "lookout" perched around those who are feeding who can give warning at the approach of a predator. Are they still being attacked after moving to your patio?
letmedance wrote:
Moved them to the cover of the patio.
May 16, 2019 12:27:14 #
foathog wrote:
birds generally have a "lookout" perched around those who are feeding who can give warning at the approach of a predator. Are they still being attacked after moving to your patio?
I have seen no predation. I think the bird was just passing through. The only bird predation I have seen is by peregrines. I saw one miss a small bird (actually crashed into the feeder), and several take rabbits. There is a peregrine nesting platform fairly nearby.
May 16, 2019 12:47:47 #
foathog wrote:
birds generally have a "lookout" perched around those who are feeding who can give warning at the approach of a predator. Are they still being attacked after moving to your patio?
No longer. They are starting to come back in numbers. The Hawk is beautiful but never there long enough to capture a shot.
May 16, 2019 13:11:49 #
t
Right you are; he was hatched last year and will molt into adult plumage this summer and will be “hard penned” by mid September. He will appear slightly smaller then because the juvenile flight and deck feathers are 10% to 15% longer than they will be in adult plumage. The longer feathers give the juveniles a bit of advantage during their first year of learning to fly and catching prey.
The molt from juvenile to adult plumage will be complete. Thereafter, in subsequent years a slowly increasing percentage of one year’s contour feathers (not flight feathers) will wait an additional year to be replaced and as the bird ages a few feathers may not be replaced until having served two or three complete years.
It is an interesting process.
Dave
kkayser wrote:
Picture taken 2 wks ago in southeastern Wisconsin. Tail is to rounded for a harrier. juvenile Cooper's seems correct. How long does juvenile plumage persist. This bird must be a year old.
Right you are; he was hatched last year and will molt into adult plumage this summer and will be “hard penned” by mid September. He will appear slightly smaller then because the juvenile flight and deck feathers are 10% to 15% longer than they will be in adult plumage. The longer feathers give the juveniles a bit of advantage during their first year of learning to fly and catching prey.
The molt from juvenile to adult plumage will be complete. Thereafter, in subsequent years a slowly increasing percentage of one year’s contour feathers (not flight feathers) will wait an additional year to be replaced and as the bird ages a few feathers may not be replaced until having served two or three complete years.
It is an interesting process.
Dave
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