Animal Art

Coopers Hawk
(Accipiter cooperii)

Cooper's hawks belong to a family of hawks known as Accipiters (ak-SIP-e-ters). These hawks prefer medium-sized birds: starlings, robins, blackbirds. The female takes prey as large as Ruffed Grouse. Frequent mammalian prey are chipmunks and Red Squirrels. Although a forest bird, it is not averse to hunting over open fields. Lizards and amphibians are sometimes eaten, especially in some parts of the west. The Cooper's hawk is about the size of a crow. Of its relatives, the sharp-shinned hawk is smaller and the northern goshawk is larger. They are found in Southern Canada and all of the United States as far south as Florida, Texas and north-western Mexico. It is a woodland species and somewhat migratory, reaching Costa Rica in winter.

Wildlife artist Kathie Miller has captured him in a moment of rest in colored pencils.