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Posted by Brennan Mulrooney on 16:59:41 02/12/08
In Reply to: Re: One of the "usual suspects" posted by Paul-the-other
Well, as field marks go, it's really not all that useful for ID...in the field, a hawk in flight for instance. When you have such a nice photo of a perched bird however, it makes for a nice concrete field mark. I've seen Coops mis-ID'd as harriers several times when people think they are seeing a hawk with a white rump. What they actually are seeing is the especially long and fluffy undertail coverts of a Cooper's Hawk flaring out and wrapping up over the sides of the rump.
In addition to what Paddy wrote, these two species have entirely different flight styles. Harriers glide low over open habitat, their wings held up in a "V" like a turkey vulture. Their wingbeats are quite lethargic. Cooper's Hawk (and the other Accipiters) usually hunt in fairly dense habitat, using bursts of fast wingbeats and short glides on flat wings. Their wings are also shorter and more rounded.
Brennan Mulrooney
Key Largo, FL
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