Q. Do Cooper's and Sharpshin Hawks ever eat rodents? Also, what should one look for to identify these accipiters?
A. They will take non-bird prey when given a chance. I saw a Cooper’s once carrying a snake off to eat. They can be difficult to tell apart. There are some features of the head that can help ID these two. The Sharp-shinned looks like it has a smaller beak in relation to the head size than a Coopers, but its eyes seem bigger than a Cooper’s. Cooper’s adults usually have a well defined blackish cap that ends in a distinct line. Sharp-shinned cap usually matches the back. Some say leg size is a good one with Sharp-shinned very thin like a pencil and Cooper’s twice as large. Good mark if you have seen both several times. (Curtis Smalling, Mountain Region Biologist and NC IBA Coordinator)
Cooper's Hawk by Don Mullaney
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