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Posted by Robin Diaz on 08:29:33 02/22/12
In Reply to: Re: Green Cay posted by Brian Rapoza
I'm certainly not an expert but I agree with Brian's assessment and added comments. What I notice is that the most prominent tail feathers in the photo are the central rectrices, that will appear squarish for Cooper's Hawk. The outer rectrices are actually shorter, giving Cooper's Hawks the appearance of a rounded tail. In the photo, the background rectrix seems to be rounded. The hawk seems to be a young bird and the eye appears to be farther back on the face than a Sharp-shinned Hawk. This is supposedly an illusion based on the head shape. There are two other features in the photo that point to Cooper's; the slightly raised "hackle" on the back of the head, and the size of the toe, which seems to indicate a fairly substantial tarsus. Sharp-shinned Hawks have almost dainty feet. If anyone is interested, I have a photo of banded Cooper's and Sharp-shinned Hawks that show leg and feet comparison.
It's a beautiful photo.
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