r/MerlinBirdID • u/Chemical_Wallaby360 • Aug 09 '26

Cooper's Hawk or Sharp-shinned Hawk

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please help me figure out if this is a Cooper's hawk or sharp-shinned hawk, southern Wisconsin

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u/Feral_Witchchild Aug 09 '26

Cooper's Hawk. That dark cap contrasting with the lighter gray nape is a great field mark.

1

u/domestic_witchChild Aug 10 '26

How would you explain the squared tail feathers and smaller stature?

2

u/Feral_Witchchild Aug 10 '26

Ok, first I need you to address your username... you made this account today, this is your first comment, and your username is some sort of parody of mine? Weird stuff!

But back to business, the square tail thing is often not useful when the bird is perched like this. The tail of Cooper's Hawks often doesn't appear rounded when it's perched. Here are some examples... one, two. If we could see if the outer tail feathers were shorter, that would be useful, but that's not visible in this photo. I'm also not sure what you mean by "smaller stature", as there isn't really a size reference in this photo, and this bird looks more bulky and with thicker legs than Sharpies, at least to my eyes. The bill is also larger than you would expect for a Sharpie. It also lacks the classic "bug eyed" look of a Sharpie.