Red-tailed Hawks and Cooper’s Hawks are two of the most frequently seen raptors in suburban yards, both serving as predators that specialize in hunting small birds and mammals. Although they both share some key similarities in terms of diet and hunting techniques, each has their own distinct set of advantages and disadvantages.
A sure way to differentiate them is the front view of their tail feathers: look for an open center with white tips in mature cooper’s and squared-off tails in immature red-tails.
Habitat
The Red-tailed Hawk is an ubiquitous presence across North America. The raptor can be found anywhere from forests, mountains and coasts to cities; with wingspan reaching four feet. Their bodies may feature different shades such as brown, red and gray hues; often seen soaring high overhead or resting comfortably perched upon telephone poles or fence posts.
Cooper’s Hawks can often be found in similar habitats to Red-tailed Hawks; however, their bodies tend to be significantly smaller and often have darker coloring. Though differences between them can be subtle, distinguishing them correctly is essential in order to accurately identify them. Both birds have dark caps on their heads; however the Cooper’s Hawk has more rounded features; additionally its tails are round while Sharp-shinned Hawks possess squared-tipped tips; this difference becomes especially clear when flying overhead.
Cooper’s Hawks typically hunt in pairs, although solo hunters may also use this approach. When hunting alone, these hawks prefer waiting until their prey approaches before attacking it, using dense vegetation as cover from potential predators and using their keen sense of smell to detect any approaching animals.
Raptors are known to feed on rodents and small mammals, but they will also dine on birds that come into their yards for feeding. People who provide wild birds with feeders should keep this in mind and may want to consider temporarily suspending their efforts until raptors have moved on to other hunting grounds.
Cooper’s Hawks tend to prey more frequently on birds and are generally more aggressive predators than Red-tailed Hawks. If a Cooper’s Hawk is in your neighborhood and poses a potential threat, you can attempt to encourage it by making loud noises or waving your hand around to try and move it along by creating louder noises or waving your hands around in response.
An easy way to tell a Cooper’s Hawk from a Sharp-shinned Hawk is by looking at their legs – sharpies typically have very thin, pencil thin legs while coopers typically have thicker, longer-legged ones.
Prey
As its name implies, the Red-tailed Hawk prefers eating mice, rats, voles and squirrels as its prey items. Although they occasionally hunt birds and reptiles as well, birds and reptiles aren’t often their top target. Like other raptors, Red-tailed Hawks tend to be more successful ground hunting rather than aerial hunting; and are most likely found hunting woodland areas with dense vegetation than open spaces where their prey might easily spot them.
Red-tailed Hawks nest in deciduous, mixed deciduous, and evergreen forests as well as suburban and urban areas – often treetops – nesting predominantly within tree crooks of mature trees; sometimes placing it prominent branches or tree trunks nearby. Red-tailed Hawks are more tolerant of humans than other raptors; nesting near bird feeders makes this easier as they can swoop down from high perches to grab chickadees, blue jays or other small birds without needing to travel very far distance.
This raptor can be found across North America, breeding in both wooded areas and suburban settings. More migratory than many hawk species, northern populations overwintering in central Mexico. Chickadees, Juncos and other migrants from backyard feeders are a frequent target, although it will also swoop down on small mammals, reptiles, amphibians or fish when food becomes scarce.
Cooper’s Hawk is often confused with Sharp-shinned Hawk, making distinguishing between the two difficult. One key difference between them is size; Cooper’s Hawks tend to be considerably larger.
Urban areas often see them hunting wooded neighborhoods or around backyard feeders, as well as rural wetlands where they hunt with gusto. If they detect small birds and mammals below them, they will swoop down upon them from above or stalk through tall grass or trees before pouncing and killing their prey by tearing into it with their sharp talons – usually killing it instantly with ease!
Red-Tailed Hawks tend to be more tolerant of humans than other raptors; however, they will defend their nests and young against predators such as raccoons and great horned owls when protecting nests or their young. Furthermore, these birds often attack invading birds or large aggressive crows when necessary.
Behavior
Hawks are common sights both in wooded areas and suburban neighborhoods, as well as highly skilled hunters that occupy many habitats and have successfully adjusted to the loss of forests by moving into backyards with bird feeders. Each species of hawk is adept at hunting using different strategies – one clue could help identify which is which.
Cooper’s Hawks prefer stealth when hunting, while red shouldered hawks tend to use sight. You can tell them apart by their legs: Cooper’s Hawk has thicker ones than those found on red shouldered hawks which tend to have thin ones and an easy way to distinguish the two species is their thicker legs compared to thin legs on sharp-shinned hawks; their tails also differ considerably: Cooper’s Hawk has longer and more prominent bar than red shouldered ones, plus there’s an extra white edge on its tail feathers on red shouldered ones not seen on Coopers Hawks!
If the raptor is flying, its eyes provide another useful indicator. Juvenile Cooper’s Hawks typically have yellow eyes while adults typically possess red ones; however, some juvenile Cooper’s Hawks may exhibit orangish hues making identification tricky in certain lighting conditions.
Feathers on a bird’s wings can provide another indication of its species. Red-tailed Hawk wings feature more rounded dark feathers while Cooper’s Hawk has pointed wings. You can distinguish light-morph and intermediate Red-Tailed Hawks from dark-morphs such as Harlan’s by their tail feather patterns.
Nesting: When it comes to nesting, Cooper’s Hawks typically build stick nests in trees near their main trunk crook; Red-tailed Hawks nest on tall structures such as cliffs or buildings and lay their eggs there instead.
The Red Shouldered Hawk is generally less wary of humans than its Cooper’s Hawk counterpart, and can often be seen hunting in open areas and urban settings. Furthermore, this bird tends to be more opportunistic in terms of prey selection – eating both small mammals and reptiles in addition to birds as food sources; occasionally even picking through animal carcasses left behind from previous encounters!
Size
Though identifying cooper’s hawks from red-tailed hawks at first glance may be challenging, there are certain key indicators you can keep an eye out for. One such indication is their size difference; Cooper’s hawks tend to be smaller with narrower wingspan and shorter tail length than red-tailed counterparts.
Eyes can help distinguish between species; Cooper’s hawks typically have red eyes while red-tailed hawks tend to have yellow ones. A reliable indicator is the tail bar pattern; an immature Cooper’s hawk typically sports thicker bars than those found on juvenile red-tailed hawks, as can its color of legs; sharp-shinned hawks typically feature pencil thin legs while cooper’s hawks possess thicker ones for added distinction.
Both species of raptors can be found throughout North America and can often be seen. Though both inhabit various habitats, they tend to prefer wooded forests with plenty of cover instead of open grasslands or prairies for nesting purposes; additionally they prefer nesting on trees or cliffs rather than on ground level structures.
As two species are highly adaptable and can thrive in various habitats, both species do have distinct food and hunting strategies preferences as well as breeding habits that should be taken into consideration when watching them in nature. Understanding these differences will allow you to maximize your enjoyment when watching hawks in nature.
Pay attention to their flight patterns as an easy way of telling apart these species: Cooper’s hawks tend to fly with rapid wing-beats while red-tailed hawks are known for graceful glides and extended periods of soaring.
The final distinction between the two hawks lies in their tails: cooper’s hawks have three or more dark bands on their tail, while red-tailed hawks possess six or more fine horizontal ones. Furthermore, cooper’s hawk wingtips tend to be round while red-tailed hawks often feature pointed tips; although in most instances this distinction remains uncertain due to body posture or lighting conditions.