Cooper's Hawk (1st year Juv.)

Description:

16" long. "Head finely streaked dark brown (crown and nape often darker, creating hooded look); regularly has variable whitish eye brow; eye pale yellow, changing to bright yellow by 1st spring (eye orange in same-aged Sharp-shinned Hawk); Underparts white with thin dark streaking on breast and belly often sparse or absent on belly). uppertail with wide, even dark bands with fine white edges; tail with wide white terminal band. Often gets into "dogfights" with its own and other species of hawks during migration.---(Often mistaken for Sharp-shinned Hawk) The Stokes Field Guide to the Birds of North America by Donald and Lillian Stokes

Habitat:

Lives in woods, wood edges; Regularly hunts at winter bird feeders. ---The Stokes Field Guide to the Birds of North America by Donald and Lillian Stokes I spotted this bird on a perch with a view of 4 of my birdfeeders, during a drizzle rain.

Notes:

Book: The Stokes Field Guide to the Birds of North America by Donald and Lillian Stokes http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Coope... Conservation Status: "At one time, Cooper's Hawks were heavily hunted in persecution for preying on poultry and were called "chicken hawks". It is now known that predation by these hawks on domestic animals borders are negligible, and they are rarely hunted these days. Cooper's Hawks' breeding success was also reduced by the use of the pesticide DDT, but the ban of DDT ended that threat.[10] Since then, the adaptable Cooper's Hawk has thrived. However, one threat facing Cooper’s Hawks today is the degradation and loss of habitat. Management activities like logging may make their former habitat unsuitable for breeding.[4]"--Wikipedia