For you bird guys, What kind of Hawk is this???

[KDM]

This guy's been chasing, and catching, the sparrows and other tweety birds around the house all winter and this is the first good chance to get a pic of him/her. Anybody know what kind?? Thanks!!

 

[PrairieGhost]

Sharp - shinned

 

[guywhofishes]

notorious feeder feeders at our house

not welcomed by galwhoswearsattweetyeatinghawks

 

[Account Deleted]

NDGF raptor book tells me Sharp shinned as well. About a foot tall K?

 

[wildeyes]

one sparrow killing machine.

 

[KDM]

NDGF raptor book tells me Sharp shinned as well. About a foot tall K?

Yep!! PrairieGhost Wins!! Sounds like the consensus is Sharp shinned. Thanks Guys!!! That thing has whacked about a dozen sparrows that we know of so far this year. They sure are sparrow killing machines wildeyes.

 

[Account Deleted]

Little off topic but have you guys ever seen a merlin go after a sparrow? It is an amazing show of aerial acrobatics.

 

[KDM]

If they are smaller than this one, Yep!! We have about 4 of these hunters cruising the area. The littlest one took after a Hairy woodpecker once and it was quite a battle. I think both combatants limped away from the encounter so I would call it a draw. The one pictured just connected on a sparrow about 3 minutes ago. He went barreling into the bushes at full speed and grabbed one. What an impact!! WOW!!!

 

[camoman]

Just my opinion here boys, but that's a Cooper's hawk. Cooper's and Sharp-shinned hawks are VERY VERY similar. Size is one thing to go by - sharp-shinned hawks are about the size of a blue jay, cooper's are about the size of a crow (this only counts if it's an adult bird). When I look at that picture, I see two things - a blocky head and a rounded tail, both indicating a cooper's hawk. If you've ever met a very experienced birder often times they even have difficulty identifying the two separately.

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If they are smaller than this one, Yep!! We have about 4 of these hunters cruising the area. The littlest one took after a Hairy woodpecker once and it was quite a battle. I think both combatants limped away from the encounter so I would call it a draw. The one pictured just connected on a sparrow about 3 minutes ago. He went barreling into the bushes at full speed and grabbed one. What an impact!! WOW!!!

These birds could be american kestrels, as well. Again, VERY similar birds, but I know in your neck of the woods, K, kestrels are a dime a dozen.

 

[Account Deleted]

Now, I'm not sure. The tail does look like a Coopers but the head looks like a sharp shinned to me. Also, its behavior described in the raptor book describes KDM's description to the letter.

 

[camoman]

Now, I'm not sure. The tail does look like a Coopers but the head looks like a sharp shinned to me. Also, its behavior described in the raptor book describes KDM's description to the letter.

It's freaking tough. They are both the type of bird that will hall ass into a pine tree and come out looking ruffled, but also have a tweety in the talons. Sharp-shinned are a little more exclusively forest birds, a little more rare to see in the open. Cooper's hawks are a forest bird, but you'll find them in the suburbs or along waterways and out over fields where there is some forested area, but it's not exclusive. KDM's property is a little of both.

 

[guywhofishes]

If you've ever met a very experienced birder often times they even have difficulty identifying the two separately.

boy I guess!

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I'm going with Cooper due to the light colored feathers all around the eye - the sharp shin has a dark brown "cap" at top/back.

https://www.carolinabirdclub.org/misc/id/accipiters.html

 

[Account Deleted]

K, catch that thing so we can find out for sure.

 

[camoman]

Take a look at the Cornell Birding site. That might change your opinion based solely on color, ha. One of the toughest pairs to distinguish in ND.

 

[deleted_account]

An experienced birder is something i hope i never become, and not because birds arent cool (nature is neat) but that it would indicate my life has become pretty dull.

 

[guywhofishes]

K, catch that thing so we can find out for sure.

yes, "catch" that thing for us

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in the name of science

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An experienced birder is something i hope i never become, and not because birds arent cool (nature is neat) but that it would indicate my life has become pretty dull.

bird
bərd/
noun
noun: bird; plural noun: birds

• 1.
  a warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrate distinguished by the possession of feathers, wings, and a beak and (typically) by being able to fly.
  

  synonyms:

  fowl; Morechick, fledgling, nestling; informalfeathered friend, birdie; budgie; technicalavifauna "feeding the birds"

  
  
  
  • North Americaninformal
    an aircraft, spacecraft, satellite, or guided missile.
    "the crews worked frantically to ready their birds for flight"
    
    
  
  
  
  
  
• 2.
  informal
  a person of a specified kind or character.
  "I'm a pretty tough old bird"
  
  
  • Britishinformal
    
    a young woman; a girlfriend.
    
    
    
  
  
  
  

 

[deleted_account]

ok, well played

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I WAS quite the swordsman back in the day

 

[camoman]

yes, "catch" that thing for us

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in the name of science

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bird
bərd/
noun
noun: bird; plural noun: birds

• 1.
  a warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrate distinguished by the possession of feathers, wings, and a beak and (typically) by being able to fly.
  

  synonyms:

  fowl; Morechick, fledgling, nestling; informalfeathered friend, birdie; budgie; technicalavifauna "feeding the birds"

  • North Americaninformal
    an aircraft, spacecraft, satellite, or guided missile.
    "the crews worked frantically to ready their birds for flight"
  
  
  
  
• 2.
  informal
  a person of a specified kind or character.
  "I'm a pretty tough old bird"
  • Britishinformal
    
    a young woman; a girlfriend.
  
  
  
  

Ahhhh hahaha. Gotcha!

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An experienced birder is something i hope i never become, and not because birds arent cool (nature is neat) but that it would indicate my life has become pretty dull.

I thought birding was kind of nerdy, and honestly it is, but after taking an ornithology class it's pretty fun to be able to walk around and have people say, "Wow, look at that bird!" and be able to reply with an actual name for the bird. People think it's crazy when I can look at a northern harrier and tell them what sex it is, I like when people think I'm nuts I guess.

 

[PrairieGhost]

Camoman I think your right about the hawk being a Cooper. I have both in my yard regularly and if there is nothing for a frame of reference I need the bird to sit for a while. I have many fruit trees and the robins are pests. The Coopers whack about one a day. The north side of my house is 95% glass and I like to sit with coffee and watch the feeders. I have had kestrels hit robins ten feet from my head. Darn robin is as big as they are. One day my neighbor had a robin sitting on the very top of a tall tree. A kestrel flew past headed north as if he seen nothing. A hundred yards north he started a big turn and climbing. A little later I looked back and he was in full dive. The feathers sure flew when he hit. The robin went to the ground and he made a tight circle and came back to land on it. Tough on songbirds, but fun to watch.

 

[deleted_account]

Ahhhh hahaha. Gotcha!

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I thought birding was kind of nerdy, and honestly it is, but after taking an ornithology class it's pretty fun to be able to walk around and have people say, "Wow, look at that bird!" and be able to reply with an actual name for the bird. People think it's crazy when I can look at a northern harrier and tell them what sex it is, I like when people think I'm nuts I guess.

i bet the ladies flock to you when you use that one eh?

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see what i did there? Flock?? hehe