Cooper's Hawk (sometimes called a Chicken Hawk)

This feather belongs to the Cooper's Hawk, a medium-sized forest hawk known for its long tail and rounded wings. Adults have blue-gray backs and rufous-barred underparts. They are agile fliers, built for navigating dense vegetation at high speeds to ambush smaller birds.

Strong horizontal banding (barring) with 3-4 distinct dark brown to charcoal bands contrasting against a light gray or off-white background. The tip is dark with a very narrow white edge. The underside is paler than the dorsal surface.

Densely packed pennaceous barbs throughout the majority of the vane for flight stability, transitioning to a small plumulaceous (downy) section at the umbilical base.

Smooth, stiff, and somewhat glossy on the dorsal side. The vane is firm to the touch, designed to withstand the high-velocity maneuvers used in forest hunting.

Bold, wide, dark horizontal bands; relative symmetry of the tail feather; and a thin white terminal band at the tip.

Woodlands, forest edges, and increasingly common in suburban backyards and urban parks where bird feeders attract their prey.

Common throughout North America, from southern Canada to northern Mexico. Northern populations are migratory, while southern ones are year-round residents.

Apex predator of small-to-medium birds and mammals. They serve as a vital check on prey populations and are excellent indicators of local ecosystem health.

Sharp-shinned Hawk (smaller, tail feathers usually have a squared-off tip rather than rounded) and Northern Goshawk (much larger, with waviness in the banding).

Cooper's Hawks are 'accipiters,' nicknamed 'true hawks.' They are specialized bird-eaters and often hunt near bird feeders. They were once heavily persecuted as 'chicken hawks' but have staged a significant comeback since the ban on DDT.

Good to Fair. There is some minor separation of the barbs ('zipper' failure) along the mid-section, likely caused by the feather snagging on the fence or wind wear prior to molting.

Back yard on the fence