Cooper's Hawk (sometimes confused with Sharp-shinned Hawk)

This is a classic tail feather from a Cooper's Hawk, a medium-sized raptor known for its agility in thick brush. The bird is roughly the size of a crow, with short, rounded wings and a very long, banded tail that acts as a rudder during high-speed chases of smaller birds.

Pale gray or grayish-brown base color with four distinct, thick, dark brown/charcoal horizontal bands. The tip of the feather typically shows a narrow white terminal band, which appears somewhat worn here.

Pennaceous and tightly interlocked throughout most of the vane; plumulaceous (downy) at the very base. The barbs are mostly intact but show some lateral separation due to handling.

Smooth and stiff to the touch; the upper surface is matte. It lacks the soft, velvety fringe found in owls, indicating this bird is a high-speed diurnal hunter.

Bold, even-width dark banding across a gray background and a rounded tip distinguish it from the smaller, square-tipped tail feathers of the Sharp-shinned Hawk.

Found in deciduous, coniferous, and mixed forests; increasingly common in suburban areas and urban parks with tall trees.

Year-round resident across much of the United States and Mexico; northern populations in Southern Canada migrate south for the winter.

Apex avian predator. They play a crucial role in controlling populations of songbirds and small mammals, particularly in suburban environments.

Sharp-shinned Hawk (smaller, thinner bands, square-tipped tail); Northern Goshawk (larger, wavy bands, more mottled appearance).

Cooper's Hawks are 'stealth hunters' that specialize in eating other birds. They have been known to crash through dense vegetation so forcefully that a high percentage of examined carcasses show healed rib fractures.

Fair to Good. There is some minor 'zipper' separation of the barbs and wear at the tip, likely dariing from the molting process or environmental contact before being found.