Cooper's Hawk

This feather comes from a medium-sized hawk known for its agility in flight. The adult bird features a blue-gray back and a crown that contrasts with a lighter nape. Its breast is horizontally barred with rufous or gray, as seen in this specimen. They have long, banded tails and piercing red or orange eyes.

Strong horizontal banding (barring). Consists of alternating dark charcoal/slate gray and bright white bars. The tip is white. This high-contrast barring is characteristic of adult Accipiter plumage.

Pennaceous on the upper two-thirds with a well-defined vane; plumulaceous (downy) at the base for insulation.

Smooth and firm at the tip; soft and silky at the base. Matte finish typical of raptor body feathers.

High-contrast horizontal gray and white barring; white tip; symmetrical silhouette; plumulaceous base.

Woodlands, forested edges, and increasingly common in suburban backyard areas with mature trees.

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

Apex avian predator; controls populations of smaller birds and mammals; indicator of healthy woodland ecosystems.

Sharp-shinned Hawk (smaller, barring often less crisp), Northern Goshawk (larger, finer barring), Broad-winged Hawk (different proportions).

Cooper's Hawks are 'true hawks' or 'accipiters,' specialized for hunting birds mid-air. They can fly through dense vegetation at high speeds using their long tails as rudders.

Excellent condition; barbs are fully intact with no visible fault bars or parasite damage; appears to be a fresh molt.