Cooper's Hawk (Chicken Hawk)

This is a diagnostic tail feather from a Cooper's Hawk. These medium-sized raptors are known for their long, banded tails and rounded wings, which allow for high-speed maneuvering through dense foliage. Adults have blue-gray backs and rufous-barred underparts.

Strongly contrasting horizontal bands (bars). Dark brownish-black to charcoal bars alternating with lighter medium-gray to brownish-gray bars. The tip often shows a thin white or light gray terminal edge.

Densely interlocked pennaceous barbs for the majority of the vane, transitioning to a short plumulaceous (downy) section near the base (calamus).

Smooth, stiff, and matte. The surface is designed for durability and flight control, lacking the 'fringe' or velvet texture found in silent flyers like owls.

Distinctive wide, dark horizontal bands; symmetrical shape indicating a tail feather; rounded tip; size larger than a Sharp-shinned Hawk but smaller than a Goshawk.

Mixed forests, wooded riparian areas, and increasingly common in suburban backyards with mature trees and bird feeders.

Common throughout North America, ranging from Southern Canada through most of the United States to Central Mexico; northern populations are migratory.

Apex predator of small-to-medium birds and mammals; plays a vital role in regulating populations of backyard birds and rodents.

Sharp-shinned Hawk (smaller, usually with a squared-off tail tip); Northern Goshawk (larger, with wavy, less distinct bands and a more marbled gray appearance).

Cooper's Hawks are 'accipiters,' or forest hawks. They are specialized hunters of other birds and are famous for their daring, high-speed chases through thick branches.

Fair to Good; the feather shows some mechanical wear (separation of barbs) along the right vane, likely due to contact with vegetation or during the molting process.