Cooper’s hawks are medium-sized raptors found throughout North America. They are adept hunters of birds and small mammals. Cooper’s hawks have a distinctive physical appearance, with blue-gray upperparts and reddish barring on their underparts. Their long tails help them maneuver nimbly through vegetation in pursuit of prey. But do Cooper’s hawks have striped or banded tails?
Cooper’s Hawk Identification
To determine if Cooper’s hawks have striped or banded tails, it is useful to first understand their key identification features. Adults have blue-gray upperparts, with reddish barring on their underparts. Their heads are rounded and they have a short hooked bill. One of the most distinguishing features of a Cooper’s hawk is their long banded tail.
The tail of an adult Cooper’s hawk has 5-6 dark bands on a gray background. The tip of the tail is white. The dark tail bands help distinguish Cooper’s hawks from other similar raptors like sharp-shinned hawks which have more numerous thinner tail bands. Immature Cooper’s hawks can be identified by vertical streaks on their underparts.
Cooper’s Hawk Size and Shape
In addition to distinctive tail markings, a Cooper’s hawk’s size and shape are useful identification clues. Cooper’s hawks measure 13-20 inches in length with a wingspan of 24-35 inches. They have a slender but muscular body shape built for speed and agility. Their long rudder-like tails help them maneuver through dense vegetation.
Cooper’s Hawk Sounds
Cooper’s hawks produce a variety of vocalizations including a loud “kak kak kak” call often given during breeding season. Other sounds include a fast “kek-kek-kek” given near nest sites and high-pitched alarm calls. Becoming familiar with Cooper’s hawk vocalizations can aid in identification.
Do Cooper’s Hawks Have Striped Tails?
So do Cooper’s hawks have striped or banded tails? Based on their key identification features, Cooper’s hawks do indeed have banded or striped tails. An adult Cooper’s hawk’s tail has 5-6 broad dark bands contrasting with gray. The tail tip is white.
These distinctive tail markings help differentiate Cooper’s hawks from other similar raptors. For example, sharp-shinned hawks have more numerous thinner tail bands versus the broader banding on a Cooper’s hawk. And northern goshawks lack any barring or banding on the tail. So the broad dark tail bands are a key field mark for identifying a Cooper’s hawk.
Juvenile Cooper’s Hawk Tail Markings
Juvenile Cooper’s hawks have somewhat different tail markings than adults. Young birds up to 1 year old have pale gray tails with darker subterminal bands and narrow dark barring. The tail base is also whitish. So while juvenile Cooper’s hawks do not yet have the distinctive bold tail bands of adults, their tails still show barring and banding which can aid in identification.
Cooper’s Hawk Tail Purpose
The Cooper’s hawk’s broad banded tail serves important functions for its hunting strategy and flight capabilities.
Manueverability
A Cooper’s hawk’s long barred tail allows it to make quick tight turns and maneuvers as it pursues prey through dense vegetation. The tail acts as a rudder, enabling the agile flight needed to capture fast moving birds and small mammals.
Stability
The tail also provides stability and balance during flight. The long tail compensates for the Cooper’s hawk’s short broad wings optimized for speed and maneuverability rather than soaring.
Prey Capture
Finally, the banded tail aids in surprise prey capture. The dark bands help camouflage the hawk against vegetation as it approaches prey. Then the hawk fans its striped tail at the last moment before striking to stabilize its attack dive.
Differences Between Cooper’s Hawks and Sharp-Shinned Hawks
Cooper’s hawks overlap in range with the similar looking sharp-shinned hawk. Examining tail markings is one way to tell them apart. This comparison table summarizes the key differences:
| Characteristic | Cooper’s Hawk | Sharp-Shinned Hawk |
|---|---|---|
| Tail banding | 5-6 broad dark bands | Numerous thin dark bands |
| Tail tip | White | Dark band |
| Wingspan | 24-35 inches | 21-27 inches |
| Prey | Mainly birds and small mammals | Mostly small birds |
As the table summarizes, Cooper’s hawks have broader tail banding, a white tail tip, larger wingspan, and greater diet breadth than sharp-shinned hawks. So carefully noting tail markings provides a reliable way to distinguish these two raptors.
Conclusion
In summary, Cooper’s hawks do have striped or banded tails. Adults have 5-6 broad dark tail bands contrasting with a gray background. The tail tip is white. Juveniles have some barring and subterminal bands as well. This distinctive tail patterning aids identification and serves important functions related to the hawk’s agile flight and hunting tactics.
When differentiating between Cooper’s hawks and sharp-shinned hawks, the tail provides a reliable clue, with Cooper’s having fewer but broader bands. So observing a raptor with a long barred tail perched or in flight can help identify that bird as a Cooper’s hawk.
