juvenile cooper's hawk

Description:

Juvenile Cooper’s hawks have a yellow eye that will gradually darken to orange and then red as they mature. They have a white chest and abdomen heavily marked with brown “drips” that grow thinner and taper off lower on the body. Both adult and juvenile Cooper’s hawks have a “barrel” shape with the shoulders and hips of similar widths. The juvenile Cooper’s hawk has a noticeably long tail marked with three dark bars on the underside. Tail Tip: The tip of the juvenile’s tail is also rounded with a prominent white terminal band that may show varying degrees of wear.

Habitat:

Mature forest, open woodlands, wood edges, river groves. Also found along trees along rivers through open country. This Cooper's hawk was spotted at DeLeon Springs State Park in DeLeon Springs, Florida.