Cooper's Hawk

This feather belongs to a medium-sized hawk known for its agility. The Cooper's Hawk has a long, banded tail and rounded wings. Adults have a blue-gray back and rufous-barred underparts, while juveniles are brown above with vertical streaks on the chest.

Distinctive bold banding pattern consisting of four to five dark brown or charcoal-gray horizontal bars against a lighter grayish-white background. The tip is dark, and the bands are relatively even in width.

Mostly pennaceous and tightly interlocked for flight efficiency, with a small plumulaceous (downy) section at the base of the calamus for insulation.

Smooth and firm to the touch with a matte finish. The surface is designed for silent, efficient flight through wooded habitats.

Bold, even horizontal banding; rounded tip; grayish-white base color; specific size range for an Accipiter hawk.

Mixed woodlands, deciduous forests, and increasingly common in suburban backyards where they hunt songbirds near bird feeders.

Year-round resident throughout much of the United States and Mexico; northern populations in Canada migrate to the southern U.S. and Central America for winter.

Apex avian predator, primarily controlling populations of medium-sized birds (doves, jays) and small mammals.

Sharp-shinned Hawk (smaller, narrower bands) and Northern Goshawk (much larger, more fine barring/vermiculation).

Cooper's Hawks are 'stealth fighters' of the bird world, capable of high-speed maneuvers through dense branches to catch other birds in mid-air.

Good condition. The barbs are mostly intact with minor fraying at the edges, suggesting it was a naturally molted feather rather than one lost during a struggle.

Cedar falls Iowa