Opening the identification guide
Compare head projection, tail shape, and crown profile, and learn why size is the trait most likely to fool you.
Scope: North America; Cooper's hawk versus sharp-shinned hawk, whose overlapping size and variable field views limit certainty · Last updated
Large and blocky, projecting well past the wings
Small and rounded, barely projecting
Source-checked editorial guide. Last updated .
Sturdy
Pencil-thin — the 'sharp shins'
Juveniles: thin, dark streaks mostly on the upper breast; lower belly mostly white
Juveniles: heavy, bold, reddish streaks running down chest and belly
Slower, regular beats between short glides, easily counted overhead
Several quick beats between short glides, erratic and harder to count
Thick and tubular, with a lower center of gravity
Broad chest narrowing to slim hips, center of gravity often high