Cooper's Hawk

This feather belongs to the Cooper's Hawk, a medium-sized forest hawk built for maneuverability. The bird has short, rounded wings and a very long, banded tail. Adults have a blue-gray back and rufous-barred underparts, while juveniles are brown with vertical breast streaks.

Distinctive bold horizontal banding (barring). Features four to five dark brown to charcoal bands on a creamy white to light gray background. The tip is dark with a very thin white terminal edge.

Tightly interlocked pennaceous barbs throughout most of the vane for flight stability; plumulaceous (downy) barbs present at the base near the calamus (quill).

Smooth, stiff, and slightly glossy on the dorsal surface; matte and slightly paler on the ventral surface. The leading edge (outer vane) is slightly narrower and more rigid than the trailing edge.

Bold, evenly spaced dark barring; rounded tip; rigid rachis; size is significantly larger than a Sharp-shinned Hawk but smaller than a Goshawk.

Woodlands, forest edges, and increasingly common in suburban areas with mature trees and bird feeders.

Year-round resident throughout most of the United States and Mexico; breeding range extends into southern Canada. Northern populations often migrate to the southern US or Central America.

Apex avian predator, primarily specializing in hunting smaller birds (like starlings and doves) and small mammals. Acts as a natural population control for songbirds.

Sharp-shinned Hawk (smaller feathers, narrower bands) and Red-shouldered Hawk (more numerous, narrower bands with higher contrast).

The Cooper's Hawk is a 'sprinter' of the bird world, capable of chasing prey through dense thickets at high speeds using its short wings and long tail as a rudder.

Good to Excellent. The vane is mostly intact with minimal fraying. The presence of down at the base suggests it was naturally molted recently.