Cooper's

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Posted by John Boyd on 08:38:00 01/24/05

In Reply to: Sharp-shinned picture... posted by Wanda Soto

: This is the only decent shot I got of the hawk that took down a cmmon moorhen during yesterday's TAS walk at Wakodahatchee. It was identified as a Sharp-shinned. My question for anyone who cares to answer: If you can't get a good look at the end of the tail, what else would tell you this is a Sharpie?

I did hear someone claim it was a sharpie, but why was unclear.
For one, it seemed to be a LOT bigger than the Moorhen (Sharpies are actually smaller than Moorhens).

This is always a difficult ID. As pointed out in the other responses, tail shape can be helpful, but is not definitive (due to molt, angle of view, etc). The tail looks like it might be square in the photo. In this case, I'd note the combination of a dark cap and extensive collar, which indicates Cooper's.

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Comments:	: : This is the only decent shot I got of the hawk that took down a cmmon moorhen during yesterday's TAS walk at Wakodahatchee. It was identified as a Sharp-shinned. My question for anyone who cares to answer: If you can't get a good look at the end of the tail, what else would tell you this is a Sharpie? : : I did hear someone claim it was a sharpie, but why was unclear. : For one, it seemed to be a LOT bigger than the Moorhen (Sharpies are actually smaller than Moorhens). : : This is always a difficult ID. As pointed out in the other responses, tail shape can be helpful, but is not definitive (due to molt, angle of view, etc). The tail looks like it might be square in the photo. In this case, I'd note the combination of a dark cap and extensive collar, which indicates Cooper's.
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