Cooper's Hawk

These feathers belong to a medium-sized hawk known for its long tail and rounded wings. The tail features alternating dark and light bands. Adults have a blue-gray back and rufous-barred underparts, while juveniles are brown above with vertical streaking below.

Strong horizontal banding (bars) of dark grayish-brown and pale silvery-gray/white. The dark bands are relatively wide. Note the terminal white tip typical of the species.

Mostly pennaceous (tightly interlocked) for aerodynamics, transitioning to a soft, plumulaceous (downy) base at the superior umbilicus.

Smooth and firm on the pennaceous portion, providing the rigidity needed for flight stability. The surface is matte with no iridescence.

Distinctive wide, dark horizontal bands; rounded tips; terminal white band at the very end of the tail; large size relative to the Sharp-shinned Hawk.

Wooded areas, leafy suburbs, and riparian corridors. Often found near backyard bird feeders where they hunt smaller birds.

Year-round resident across most of the United States, including California, and Mexico. Northern populations migrate to the southern U.S. or Central America.

Apex avian predator in suburban ecosystems; regulates populations of smaller birds and rodents.

Sharp-shinned Hawk (smaller, square-ended tail, narrower bands) and Northern Goshawk (much larger, wavy/mottled banding).

Cooper's Hawks are 'stealth fighters' of the bird world, capable of navigating dense forest canopies at high speeds to ambush prey. They were once heavily persecuted but have adapted remarkably well to urban living.

Good to Excellent. The vanes are mostly intact with very little fraying, suggesting these were recently molted feathers rather than damaged ones.

california