Sharp-shinned Hawk - Accipiter cooperi
A small sized hawk with a dark cap and dark blue-grey back. Habitat occurs in a wide range of woodland and forest types. It surprises its prey from cover or while flying through dense vegetation.
Common Names
- Sharp-shinned Hawk (en)
- Gavilán americano (es)
- Épervier brun (fr)
- Eckschwanzsperber (de)
How to Identify
Very similar to Cooper’s Hawk but smaller. Hunting behaviour and habitat is also similar although my impression is that this species more often flies fast low over the ground while searching for prey. A distinctive character is the form of the head which is round.
Where & When to Spot
I never identified this species in parks in or around Montreal. The only time I observed this species was in Newfoundland.
Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus)
pippy-park - August 20, 2017
NIKON D500; 70.0-300.0 mm f/4.5-5.6; Focal Length 300mm; Exposure 1/1250; Aperture f8.0; Iso 450;
khm-20170820-1409-1503223750