Sharp-Shinned Hawks belong to the family of hawks known as
accipiters. Accipiters are forest dwelling hawks. They have short wings and long tails which help them
maneuver in and out of trees quickly when chasing their prey.
Sharp-Shinned hawks get their name because they have very long legs
which have no feathering on them. Juvenile birds are dark brown on their
wings and back and their chests are a light brown speckled with
white and have light yellow eyes. Adults are slate gray with rust
colored barring of the chest and have bright orange-red eyes.
Sharp-Shinned Hawks are very similar in appearance to Cooper’s Hawks
and male Cooper’s Hawks are very close in size to female
Sharp-Shinned Hawks. The most reliable way to tell the two apart is
by looking at their tails. While in flight the Sharp-Shinned’s tail
appears straight and square at the end while the Cooper’s is more
rounded.
Sharp-Shinned Hawks and male Coopers hawks are bird hunting
specialists. The larger accipters including female Coopers hawks and gos
hawks prey on both mammals and birds.
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