Ok my Hawk Expert Friend (
@ChicoryBlue). Are you trying to re-identify the hawk in question?
'm definitely not good at telling the difference, but now I think this is a Sharp-Shinned Hawk, the thick dark streaking goes into the belly, and the sound of the call when it was in the vines seemed closer to that than a Cooper's. It's not that much bigger than a Blue Jay, between a Jay and a Crow?
This got me re-checking measurements. I have excellent reference points with each photo to be able to measure them and I'm super confident in the sizes I am reporting below.
This hawk was 10.25 inches from head to foot.
View attachment 2921116
This hawk measures 11.25 inches head to foot.
View attachment 2921117
Could I Have 2 different hawks stalking my yard?
As for what kind of hawk, based upon the following differentiations, I think it is a juvenile Cooper's Hawk. Here is what I have found as a guide to differentiate them.
Field Mark | Sharp-shinned Hawk | Cooper’s Hawk |
| SIZE | Similar in size to a jay or dove (avg. 10-14″ long). Female is larger and can be as large as a male Cooper’s Hawk. | Similar in size to a crow (avg.14-20″ long). Male is smaller and can be as small as a female Sharp-shinned Hawk. |
| HEAD SIZE | Head appears small compared to body. | Head appears large compared to body. The feathers on the back of the head are often raised, giving the bird a crested look. |
| EYES | Eyes appear to be close to half way between front and back of head. | Eyes appear to be close to the front of the head. |
| JUVENILE STREAK PATTERN | Heavy, bold, reddish streaks on chest and belly. Note: This field mark applies to juvenile-plumaged birds only. | Thin, dark streaks mostly on upper breast; lower belly mostly white. Note: This field mark applies to juvenile-plumaged birds only |
Overall Size
Let's start with size. This is a little subjective. If we accept that this is a juvenile and not yet full grown, this hawk is already in the range of the Sharp-shinned. Assuming that it still has some growing to do I suspect it will wind up in the Cooper's Hawk range. If I judge using my personal eye, it sure seems larger than a Blue Jay or Dove. It is closer to crow sized to me.
Head Size
Again a somewhat subjective method for identification. For me the head seems plenty big enough in relation to the body.
Eyes
To me this is objective and cannot be argued with. The eyes are definitively very close to the front of the head.
Juvenile Streak Pattern
I do not see any reddish streaks. What I see are brown streaks. Now what gives me pause is that the belly does not end in white. However I have see a lot of photos online and it seems in those most juveniles have the stripes all the way down.
Everything I read says that these are very hard birds to differentiate in their youth. Hopefully I do not get to see it full grown.
