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

The Cooper's Hawk is a medium-sized bird of prey with short, rounded wings and a long, rounded tail adapted for high-speed navigation through dense forest vegetation. Females are noticeably larger than males. Adults feature steel-blue-gray backs and wings with warm reddish-brown barring on the underparts and striking red eyes. They hunt primarily other birds and small mammals using surprise aerial dashes from perches.

Distinctive alternating bold bands of dark brown/slate-gray and crisp white, with a broad dark subterminal band and a narrow white tip. The dorsal and ventral surfaces show similar high-contrast barring.

Tightly interlocked pennaceous structure along the main vane with strong hooklets (barbicels) providing rigidity, transitioning to a slightly plumulaceous (fluffy) texture near the base of the calamus.

Smooth, firm, and slightly glossy on the pennaceous vane, providing aerodynamic efficiency, with a soft, downy texture at the extreme base near the calamus.

Bold, evenly spaced dark brown and white horizontal bands across a broad, rounded feather, combined with a sturdy white rachis and a length of approximately 7 to 8 inches.

Wooded habitats ranging from deciduous and mixed forests to open woodlands, river groves, suburban neighborhoods, and urban parks where mature trees provide nesting sites and prey abundance.

Widespread across North America, breeding from southern Canada down through the United States and into Mexico. Populations in the northern part of the range migrate south for the winter, while southern populations are year-round residents.

Acts as an apex avian predator helping to regulate populations of medium-sized songbirds and doves, serving as a key indicator of woodland ecosystem health.

Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus) and Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis). Sharp-shinned hawk tail feathers are noticeably smaller (typically under 5-6 inches) with a squarer tail tip, while Goshawk tail feathers are larger and longer.

Cooper's Hawks are exceptionally agile fliers, capable of high-speed pursuits through thick branches where they use their long tails as rudders. They are known to occasionally squeeze their prey or hold it underwater to drown it.

Good condition with minor wear at the extreme base and slight fraying on the lower barbs, but the pennaceous vane and banding pattern remain fully intact and undamaged.

About 7” - 8” long