Cooper's Hawk

This feather belongs to the Cooper's Hawk, a medium-sized raptor known for its incredible agility. Adults have bluish-gray backs and rufous-barred underparts, while their long, banded tails are their most distinctive feature in flight.

Strongly banded with alternating wide, dark charcoal-brown to blackish bars and narrower light gray to off-white bars. The tip shows a faint white terminal band, which is a classic field mark for this species.

Pennaceous and tightly interlocked throughout most of the vane for structural integrity; smaller plumulaceous (downy) section at the base of the calamus.

Dense, smooth, and stiff to the touch with a slightly matte finish. The surface is designed for durability during high-speed maneuvers through dense foliage.

Distinctive even-width dark and light banding, rounded tip with a white terminal edge, and a length consistent with a medium-sized Accipiter.

Wooded areas, deciduous forests, and increasingly common in suburban backyards where they hunt songbirds near feeders.

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

Apex predator of small to medium birds and mammals. They help regulate songbird populations and serve as an indicator of healthy woodland ecosystems.

Sharp-shinned Hawk feathers are very similar but smaller (usually under 6 inches) and usually lack the prominent white terminal tip. Red-shouldered Hawk feathers have more numerous, narrower white bands.

Cooper's Hawks are 'stealth hunters.' They have evolved short, rounded wings and long tails to act as a rudder, allowing them to fly at high speeds through thick forest canopy to catch prey.

Fair to Good. Some mechanical wear and 'zipper' separation is visible along the trailing edge (right side), likely from contact with branches or during the molt drop.