Cooper's Hawk

This feather belongs to a medium-sized raptor known for its 'blue-gray' back and reddish-barred breast in adulthood. Cooper's Hawks are agile fliers with long tails and rounded wings, specialized for hunting birds in flight.

Strongly banded with alternating wide dark chocolate-brown or charcoal bars and lighter gray-brown or whitish-gray bars. The tip shows a faint white terminal band, characteristic of this species.

Mostly pennaceous and tightly interlocked for flight stability, with a small plumulaceous (downy) section at the base of the calamus.

Smooth, stiff, and slightly matte; designed for high-maneuverability flight through dense vegetation.

Distinctive wide, dark horizontal banding and the presence of a thin white band at the very tip (often worn away in older feathers).

Woodlands, forest edges, and increasingly common in suburban residential areas with mature trees and bird feeders.

Year-round resident across much of the United States and Mexico; northern populations migrate from Canada to the southern US and Central America.

Apex predator of small-to-medium birds and mammals; acts as a natural control for songbird and rodent populations.

Sharp-shinned Hawk (smaller, usually lacks the wide white tip) and Northern Goshawk (much larger, more 'zigzag' or wavy banding).

The Cooper's Hawk is a 'sprinter' of the bird world, capable of high-speed bursts through thick brush to catch prey. They were once called 'Chicken Hawks'.

Good condition; showing slight wear at the tip and some separation of the barbs near the base (barbules unhooked), but overall intact.