Cooper’s Hawk vs Sharp-shinned Hawk - Raptor identification

Professional hawk watcher David Brown explains how to identify Cooper's Hawks and Sharp-shinned Hawks. These two species are often seen by birders at hawk watches in the eastern USA.
Complete raptor identification video playlist: • Raptor Identification
LycoBirds Raptor Identification Guide: www.lycobirds.com/raptor-guide/.
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🕘Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
0:10 - Basic Info
0:30 - Shape comparison
0:56 - Adult (underside)
1:28 - Adult (upperside)
1:44 - Juvenile (underside)
2:01 - Juvenile (upperside)
2:13 - Perched Cooper's Hawks
2:26 - Perched Cooper's Hawk (back)
2:41 - Perched Sharp-shinned Hawk
2:49 - Cooper's Hawk courtship flap
3:09 - Sharp-shinned Hawk Example #1
3:34 - Sharp-shinned Hawk Example #2
3:51 - Cooper's Hawk Example #1
4:10 - Cooper's Hawk Example #2
4:25 - Northern Goshawk Example
5:00 - Final thoughts
5:35 - Outro
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[@russellmlamb]

The best guide I have come across on the internet, to help you distinguish between the Coopers and SSHA. Thank you very much for putting this together!!

[@godzilla91870]

Excellent, very useful. I just saw a Sharp-Shinned Hawk, wasn’t absolutely sure and this has confirmed it for me!

[@johnh.blevins5927]

In Fort Wayne, IN I’ve seen on 2-3 occasions a sleek looking bird, rather light colored, but a bit blueish / grayish coloring on the back - more slate blue I’d say. Both times the bird came off a power line as I turned onto the country road driving my school bus and flapped rather quickly as it swooped streamlined down and across in front of me. My first thought was a hawk, but not like others I’ve seen. About the size of a crow or so, I considered even a dove, because of the quickness and agility, the ‘lightness’ in flight, as if they were lighter than air, but dismissed it because the head was larger yet streamlined and suited the bird’s size, where a dove’s appears smallish for the body. The tail was too long for a dove besides, and if memory serves, was cut more straight across. It was fast flyer for the brief moments I saw it, both times, and was clearly a very deft bird in flight. Looking at the initial pics above, comparing them to the pics in my mind’s eye, I’m fairly certain it was the Sharp-shinned Hawk.

[@thorsvenson3530]

Great video. Thank you! One of the things I enjoy about birding is challenging ID. This is a feature, not a bug of birding! As you say, it is OK to not ID every bird! Learning to ID birds is a never ending challenge!

[@LycoBirds]

Well said!

[@williamtyler6998]

Great comparison and clear description. Very instructive. Excellent!

[@LycoBirds]

Thanks!

[@choir90mom]

Thanks for taking the time to really walk us through the differences. This is extremely helpful for a novice like myself...so many great examples!

[@elizabethstump4077]

I saw a hawk gliding over my property a few weeks ago. The one thing I remembered most distinctly was that one of the bands on the tail, that normally would be white, was a yellow/orange color. It was the band between the last two dark bands on the tail. I'm located in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area, if that helps.

[@cathyolin4563]

Very informative and helpful descriptions of these two hard to identify accipiters. Thank you.

[@seantango2754]

I really appreciate how you've partitioned the video for easy review. Thanks for creating this.

[@LycoBirds]

No problem! Thanks for watching

[@paulcolson3220]

Thank you for this wonderful video. My neighborhood in Birmingham AL has old growth, high canopy trees and is frequented by what I believe to be several species of small hawks. As you mentioned, it IS really difficult to distinguish between the different species. I love watching them hunt and have taken to calling them harrier sharp shinned falcon things.

[@davidhowell7901]

Same here in the Upstate of SC. Just saw a Coopers preening on a line. Watched her for a minute until she was off to get breakfast (squirrels galore are oit after last night's weather)

[@lonnieclemens8028]

Thank you for sharing this video and describing the differences.

[@nolabirdin]

Thanks buddy that was greatness I’m all subscribed up now

[@roberttaney9795]

Brilliant! I always assumed i wouldn’t be able to tell the difference because size is hard to judge at any great distance. But I think I saw sharpies this weekend and thank you for helping to (probably) verifying this sighting.

[@CharismaticPlanet3822]

beautiful identification

[@brentbryson215]

Excellent- very helpful! After watching this I’m certain I was watching a juvenile Coopers Hawk today. We were able to watch it for a good five minutes from only 15 feet away.

[@marcusbelvin8448]

the Richmond City Court House in Virginia uses a recording of the Cooper's hawk to keep away pigeons and other birds that may damage property

[@natyosborne]

Great video ! I just had a couple of Cooper’s in the neighborhood here in Portland , OR - they landed in the top of a tall tree in our yard , with some short squawks , then they both flew very high ( became invisible to naked eye ), ridin the thermals - they both had very prominent white puffed out undertail coverts while in flight , and when they first flew up to the tree , one of them was doing the deep high wing beats you mentioned in the video . Is this possibly Mating / courtship behavior ? Anyways , awesome video !

[@LycoBirds]

If they were hanging out together then it could courtship behavior, but we also see that when a local Cooper's Hawk is chasing an intruder away from their territory. Hard to tell which it is sometimes.

[@kevingallagher5629]

Excellent video, very helpful, and succint.

[@alleycatwoman]

Thank you for your wonderful video!!!

[@tcchen6885]

A great clear explanation!

[@chantaltaunton7180]

Very informative, thank you!

[@inash1683]

Amazingly helpful and well explained!

[@gboogie360]

I live in Connecticut now, theres 8 species of hawks, 3 of falcons, 2 of eagles, 9 of owls and the osprey... and my budgies

[@getfragged7051]

Is there any way I can get some pictures to you? I live in Henderson Nevada and I’ve seen a bird around my neighborhood a few times now and I finally got some footage of it today. The quality isn’t that great since I got it on my phone but I think there’s enough there to go on for someone who knows what they’re talking about. I really want to identify it, it’s amazed me every time I’ve seen it. It got pretty close today and didn’t seem very startled with me so I’m not sure if it may be a neighbor’s little guy or a wild one.

[@tygonmaster]

At 2:15 on the far left. This looks exactly like the two birds I have outside my window every few days. Which is a pain because immature cooper's look so different from the pictures of the fully grown ones. Seems to make it a pain to identify them.

[@billgillaspey9036]

Great video to help me get up to speed on this challenging set of birds (I'm a novice, at least on accipiters). You don't cover vocalizations. I'd think that would also help...unless I'm missing something. Can you cover that in any follow up videos? Thanks

[@LycoBirds]

Thanks! I've seen a lot of Sharp-shinned Hawks but I don't think I've ever heard one. They probably mostly call only near nest sites. I occasionally hear Cooper's Hawk calling. Both sound kind of squeaky but the Sharp-shinned Hawk is much higher in pitch.

[@billgillaspey9036]

@@LycoBirds Thanks for replying! Context: From other videos, I got the impression that Sharpy sounded a little like a Killdeer (higher pitch, rapid syllables). Coopers, and maybe Red-Shouldered sound more like a cross between a flicker and a sea gull (...hope that's not too broad of a generalization...) I have seen recently here in TN several groups of soaring (very little flapping) medium-sized hawks that with the help mainly of your videos decided were red-shouldered. That said, since I'm familiar with the Cooper's call (they nest in our area) I thought at first I was hearing (heard them first, then had put eyes on them) another Cooper's. From AllAboutBirds, I got the impression that the call of Broadwinged was quite different from calls of Cooper's and Red-Shouldered. That was part of my decision to call them red-shouldered. But to your point, I haven't seen Sharpy's much at all, let alone know their call in person. Again thanks for great videos!

[@tomkarau]

Often wonder if I am getting my bird ID correct, here in South-Eastern Minnesota, I often see one of these two hawks flying near our residential house in the neighborhood. I often think it's a Coopers Hawk, but it's not a very big hawk. Which hawk is larger? Coopers hawk or Sharp Shinned hawk?.. It appears not too much larger than the local crows that frequent our neighboor hood and whenever they fly by, all of the near by pigeons take flight as to reduce the chances of being caught.. What do you think this small hawk might be??....

[@fasx56]

David Brown How many years have you been studying the Habits and Identity of Hawks. One gathers that you are very knowledgeable must have worked at the University Level and taught on this subject. Is Hawk watching a full time Hobby for you or maybe you worked for some Game Department as the bird expert.? Loved your video and your Narration was precise and clear. Someone spent a lot of time editing and putting together this picture video of these two Hawks, thank you.

[@falcoperegrinus82]

In your experience, can the flapping style of a large female SSHA resemble that of a COHA and vice versa for a small male COHA?

[@RC-Heli835]

1:27 That's what I saw dive bomb my bird feeder about 7 or 8 months ago. A gray Coopers Hawk. Very handsome or is it beautiful, bird? It went close to the ground 1st and then strait up beside the bird feeder hoping to scare something off but no birds were there. Also went to the bird bath slash dogs water flying back and forth over it hoping something was there but there was nothing. Now that I have learned of them I'm seeing more and more of them and Sparrow hawks either waiting or launching attack. I saw one back in the summer with a freshly caught Robbin. It had to flee with it because of all the troublesome group of birds bickering about it taking one of their fellows.

[@LP-Lizard]

Aqui tem o Roadside Hawk😁 (gavião carijó)

[@lolaby2]

😂 having issues telling if I saw a Cooper’s hawk or a red tailed hawk. It was flying in an undulating pattern and almost doing a short dive before flapping again to gain altitude

[@LycoBirds]

Both species can do that sort of flight, but it seems more common with red-tails. At the hawk watch we usual refer to it as their "roller coaster flight"

[@bittabrutha31]

Question!! Do Sharp-shins do the slow mating flap??

[@LycoBirds]

I have never personally seen it or heard of it but I can’t say for certain that they never do it.

[@mikemortensen4973]

Spend a lot of time in the field observing them? If you go looking for either Coops or Sharpies, you'll likely never find one.

[@LycoBirds]

It is common to see hundreds of Accipiters on a good day at many hawk watches. Otherwise, when you get the chance to see one make sure you watch it for as long as possible, rather than looking away as soon as you have identified it.

[@Iquey]

Cooper must be a bigger glider and diver while the sharp shinned hawk might be more of a tight and quick maneuverer like the sparrowhawk, based on how the wings and head are positioned.

[@jsmcguireIII]

Last evening I watched our local COHA get chased out of the neighborhood by a badass Anna's hummingbird. So humiliating.

[@jaisurya7604]

Bro nothen goshawk

[@MagicPlants]

A cross is a T ffs....

[@LycoBirds]

True

[@LP-Lizard]

Aqui tem o Roadside Hawk😁 (gavião carijó)