Cooper's Hawk (also known as Big Blue Darter, Chicken Hawk)

A medium-sized forest hawk with broad, rounded wings and a long, rounded tail. Adults feature dark slate-gray upperparts and distinctive rufous-and-white barred underparts. Known for its incredible agility and high-speed navigation through dense forest canopies while hunting birds and small mammals.

Pale bluish-gray or silvery-gray background crossed by several bold, dark charcoal-black transverse bands (bars) with a distinct white tip

Tightly interlocked pennaceous barbs forming a smooth, firm vane with strong barbicels, and some plumulaceous fluff at the extreme base near the calamus

Strong, stout, central white-to-pale-gray rachis with a flattened upper surface and rounded underside, featuring dense barbs angled evenly outward

Stiff, smooth, and matte with a firm rigidity providing aerodynamic stability during flight and sharp turns

Tail (rectrix), determined by the relatively uniform width, rounded tip, and strong transverse dark banding pattern typical of accipiter tails

Bold dark and light gray alternating bands with a distinct white terminal tip, characteristic of adult Cooper's Hawk tail feathers

Deciduous and mixed forests, open woodlands, wooded suburbs, forest edges, and river groves

Year-round resident across most of the United States, southern Canada, and parts of Mexico, with northern populations wintering further south

Apex avian predator that helps regulate populations of songbirds, doves, and small mammals, serving as an important indicator of forest ecosystem health

Sharp-shinned Hawk and Northern Goshawk; Sharp-shinned tail feathers are smaller with square-tipped ends, while Goshawk tail feathers are significantly larger

Cooper's Hawks are master acrobats, capable of high-speed pursuits through thick brush, sometimes sustaining impact forces by using their long tails as rudders and brakes

Historically used in falconry and by Indigenous peoples for ceremonial regalia and arrows, though contemporary possession is strictly regulated

Look for molted tail feathers under frequent perches, nests, or plucking posts in wooded suburban areas and forest edges during late summer and autumn

Good condition with intact barbs and only minor fraying at the base, showing normal wear for a naturally molted feather