Sharp-Shinned Hawk (was What is this cool little bird?)

[casportpony]

Easy to tell if you are holding one of each!

Great picture!

 

[Granny Hatchet]

showing double on the side

• What is this cool little bird?
  casportpony posted Today at 4:12 PM
• What is this cool little bird?
  casportpony posted Today at 4:12 PM
• How Cold of Weather Can...

 

[Wishing4Wings]

What about the eyes? Do they change color as they get older?

Apparently, both start with yellow eyes and turn red in maturity.
https://hawkwatch.org/blog/item/864-eye-color-in-raptors
https://hawkwatch.org/blog/item/864-eye-color-in-raptors
First set of pics on the page above...
"The three accipiters (Sharp-shinned, Cooper’s, and Goshawk) are quite the opposite, starting off with bright yellow eyes as juveniles that turn to dark red as they age (Figure 5, Sharp-shinned Hawks)."

 

[centrarchid]

Adult Sharp-shinned or Coopers Hawk. Both have variants across large range.

I am looking at the legs, shins in particle that look long and gracile. That is a characteristic of the Sharp-shinned Hawk when compared to the Coopers Hawk.

I have a hard time assigning sex of these birds based on coloration. Here, females as colorful as males.

 

[sourland]

@centrarchid , are there regional color phases to Coopers and Sharp shins ?

 

[Boonie Stomper]

Beautiful! Very healthy genes there!

 

[centrarchid]

Sharp-shinned Hawk is currently broke into 4 subspecies that differ in part based on coloration. Only one is in in the lower 48 and Canada. Article below I think is good.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharp-shinned_hawk

Coopers Hawk-genetic evidence. I am having a hard time finding color descriptions, but may be cited in article below.
http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1525/auk.2012.11166

I remember vaguely the Coopers Hawk of the West Coast is darker than the more eastern form.

 

[casportpony]

showing double on the side

• What is this cool little bird?
  casportpony posted Today at 4:12 PM
• What is this cool little bird?
  casportpony posted Today at 4:12 PM
• How Cold of Weather Can...

Granny, thanks! I think I got all the posts from the duplicate thread transferred over!

 

[Granny Hatchet]

your welcome

 

[casportpony]

your welcome

I have no idea how that happened!