• Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    I’m confused by the small size of the Cooper in the photo. I have what I thought was a Cooper in my yard but it is easily 3x bigger than the one on the left. I’ve seen it carrying an adult squirrel (struggling but it still made the flight).

    What hawk looks like a Cooper but is 3x bigger? Isn’t the other name for a Cooper, Chicken Hawk?

    • NielsBohron@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      WHere do you live? I know in the western US, we have lots of hawks that are notably larger than either of these two (but then, I’m not an ornithologist, or even a real bird-watcher, so who knows)

    • nikt@lemmy.ca
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      7 months ago

      That was my first thought too. This Cooper’s Hawk is way too small.

      Turns out (according to Wikipedia) their adult size can vary a lot depending on location and other factors, from 14”-20”. The ones I see around here are def closer to 20 than 14, and the sharp shinned hawks are relatively small and slender.