Coopers Hawk in My Garden
The Coopers hawk in my garden, he enjoys parking himself on my deck rail or the neighbor’s fence and watching over the yard. The backyard feeder birds are an easy target for hawks, they will stand back and watch the songbirds eat their fill and then strike them in flight as they leave.
Common Names the Raptor is Called
Other common names for the Cooper’s hawk include big blue darter, chicken hawk, flying cross, hen hawk, quail hawk, striker, and swift hawk.
Adult Coopers Hawk
Female Cooper’s hawks are larger than males. Both female and male adults have red eyes and black cap, with blue-gray upper parts and white underparts with fine, thin, reddish bars. Their tail is blue-gray on top and pale underneath, barred with black bands.
Simon Pierre Barrette
Immature Coopers Hawk
Immatures have yellow eyes and have a brown cap, with brown upperparts and pale underparts with thin black streaks mostly ending at the belly.
Their tail is brown on top and pale underneath, barred with dark bands. The eyes of this hawk, as in most predatory birds, face forward, enabling good depth perception for hunting and catching prey while flying at top speeds
The Cooper’s hawk has everything figured out. Smart of them, terrible for my backyard feathered friends.
