Date: 11/10/25 8:46 am From: Eric Clark <edaveclark...> Subject: Re: [MBBIRDS] Coopers/Sharp-Shinned?
Thanks for all the responses. It definitely helps me to have a better idea
what to look for. I've seen a number of Cooper's but not Sharpies so I
don't have a good idea about how to verify them. The size in this case
caught my attention as small for a Cooper's, but after that I was unsure
what to look for.
Thanks,
David
On Monday, November 10, 2025 at 7:28:57 AM UTC-8 mkwirtanen wrote:
> Great points, I’m taking notes here!
>
> Next time I get an “SSL” on one of those guys, I’ll take it all in…check
> off the list;
> Soul Satisfying Look…that is
>
> Thank you for continued input!
>
> Take care,
> Melanie
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Nov 10, 2025, at 6:54 AM, Ryan Phillips <norcal......> wrote:
>
>
>
> Check out other features which are less subjective than size and tarsi
> width, as well as less overlap between the two species. The fine teardrop
> streaking on the front, the blocky large headed appearance, the eye set
> forward on the head (sharpie centered), the larger bill, etc. Tail shape
> you cannot go by here because the central tail feathers (deck feathers) are
> flared out hiding the outer tail feathers that give the graduation rounded
> look. All point to Cooper's.
>
> Also, habitat and behavior, although not diagnostic especially this time
> of year, fits better for Coop.
>
> Things is a continued and long ongoing debate, Coop vs Sharpie. ha.
>
> Good birding,
> Ryan
>
>
> *Ryan Phillips* ǀ Owner and Guide
>
> Personal and Group Birding Excursions in Northern California and Beyond
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> Phone ǀ (831) 234-7324
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> Email ǀ <norcal......>
>
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>
> "Everyone likes birds. What wild creature is more accessible to our eyes
> and ears, as close to us and everyone in the world, as universal as a bird?"
>
> - Sir David Attenborough
>
>
>
>
>
> On Sun, Nov 9, 2025, 10:00 PM Melanie Wirtanen <mkwir......> wrote:
>
>>
>> Interesting comparison! Thank you so much for your message.
>>
>> They said smaller than a crow so I went to Sharpie.
>> Also the tarsus, you can see in that one photo where it is erect is very
>> thin and delicate. If it is a Coop it’s a male for sure. I recently held a
>> female juvenile Coop and she was way bigger than this bird, beyond usual
>> comparison to the tiercel.
>>
>> Learn something new every day!
>>
>> Take care,
>> Melanie
>>
>>
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>> > On Nov 9, 2025, at 9:03 PM, Mark Chappell <markcha......> wrote:
>> > Cooper’s, I think. Note facial ‘expression’ — one characteristic I’ve
>> sometimes found useful is that sharp-shinned hawks usually look bug-eyed,
>> or startled; Cooper’s tend to look angry or mean. I think this is may be
>> due to a somewhat more prominent brow ridge on Cooper’s. Male sharpies are
>> fairly easy to ID from size alone: barely bigger than robins.
>> >
>> > Juvenile female and adult male sharp-shinned:
>> >
>> > --
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>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mbbirds/<4A0E7BB5-5A77-4429-B21E-642A829EC1AF...> >> .
>> > <Sharp-shinned hawk 0031.jpg>
>> > <sharp-shinned hawk005.jpg>
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Female Cooper’s juvenile:
>> >
>> > --
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>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mbbirds/<4A0E7BB5-5A77-4429-B21E-642A829EC1AF...> >> .
>> > <Cooper's hawk 0027.jpg>
>> >
>> >
>> >> On Nov 9, 2025, at 2:31 PM, <edave......> wrote:
>> >>
>> >> We saw this hawk at Antonelli yesterday and my wife got some pics with
>> her phone against her binoculars.
>> >> Wondering if it could be a coopers or a sharp-shinned? We did see it
>> near a crow and it was smaller than the crow.
>> >> Thanks for the help.
>> >>
>> >> --
>> >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
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>> >> To view this discussion visit
>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mbbirds/<1762727181473.1894514327.21917119...> >> .
>> >> <hawk 1.jpg><hawk 2.jpg><hawk 3.jpg>
>> >
>> > _________________________________
>> > Mark Chappell email: <markcha......>
>> > Professor of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology (Emeritus)
>> > University of California, Riverside, CA 92521
>> > work website:
>> https://profiles.ucr.edu/app/home/profile/chappell >> > photography website:
>> http://faculty.ucr.edu/~chappell/INW/index.html >> >
>> >
>> >
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>>
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>>
>
