Raptor Club & Rehabilitation Program

Riley is a male Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) who came to the WSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital in the summer of 2008.  He was found unable to fly due to his permanently injured left wing.  The cause of the damage to his wing is unknown, and because of it, he is non-releasable.
 
Cooper’s Hawks belong to the genus Accipiter of hawks, which are forest dwelling hawks and known as the “true hawks”.  They have short wings and long tails which help them maneuver in and out of trees quickly when chasing their prey.  Juvenile Cooper’s Hawks are dark brown on their wings and back, and their chests are a light brown speckled with white.  Adults are slate gray with rust colored barring on their chest.  Adult North American Accipiters have bright orange-red eyes, whereas the juveniles have light yellow eyes.
 
Cooper’s Hawks, also known as Chicken Hawks, are very similar in appearance to Sharp-shinned Hawks (Accipiter striatus).  Furthermore, male Cooper’s Hawks are very close in size to female Sharp-shinned Hawks.  Though these species look nearly identical, there are a few ways to tell them apart.  The most reliable way is seen by looking at their tails as they fly.  While in flight, the Sharp-shinned Hawk’s tail appears straight and square (or “sharp”) at the end while the Cooper’s Hawk’s is more rounded (“c-shaped” for Cooper’s).
 
Sharp-shinned Hawks and male Cooper’s Hawks are bird hunting specialists.  The larger
Accipiters like female Cooper’s Hawks and Goshawks prey on birds too, but have a larger prey selection.  Cooper’s Hawks will fly after birds in an air-born chase.  Unlike falcons, Accipiters do not usually kill their prey by biting.  They will catch birds mid-air or on the ground and will proceed to squeeze their prey repeatedly until it dies.  Occasionally, they will even drown their prey.  Like the Sharp-shinned Hawk, they can be seen waiting for prey near bird baths, feeders, and houses.