Cooper's Hawk

The Cooper's Hawk is a medium-sized forest hawk with short, rounded wings and a very long tail. Adults have bluish-gray backs and rufous-barred underparts. This feather displays the characteristic 'zebra-striping' found on the wings and tail which helps break up the bird's silhouette in the dappled light of the forest canopy.

Bold, clean horizontal banding (barring). Features 4-5 distinct dark brownish-black bands alternating with crisp white-to-pale-gray bands. The dark bands are slightly wider than the white channels. This high-contrast pattern is typical of adult Accipiters.

Densely interlocked pennaceous barbs throughout most of the vane; plumulaceous (downy) barbs present near the base (umbilicus) for insulation; hooklets are fully functional providing a smooth, continuous surface.

Smooth, stiff, and slightly glossy on the dorsal surface. The trailing edge is soft enough to reduce noise, though not as specialized for silence as an owl's feather.

High-contrast dark and light barring; rounded tip; size (between 5-6 inches); clean white bands indicate an adult specimen.

Woodlands, deciduous forests, and increasingly common in leafy suburban areas and urban parks where bird feeders attract prey species.

Common year-round resident across most of the United States and Mexico; northern populations migrate south from Canada during winter.

Top-tier avian predator; helps regulate populations of medium-sized birds (doves, jays, starlings) and small mammals.

Sharp-shinned Hawk (feathers are smaller, usually under 4 inches for secondaries) and Northern Goshawk (larger, with more mottled/grayish barring).

Cooper's Hawks are specialized 'bird-hawks' that hunt by flying through dense vegetation at high speeds. They were once nicknamed 'Chicken Hawks' due to their habit of raiding poultry farms.

Good to Excellent; the vane is mostly intact with minimal fraying. Slight separation of barbs near the bottom indicates natural wear or handling after being molted.