I recently moved from Tucson, Arizona to Modesto, California.
I finished my Ph.D. in Political Science focusing on American Government and International Relations. I have a...
They are a smaller than Cooper's, 11" long instead of 16". They have a smaller head and the tail is a bit shorter in relation to the body and head. A little more red on the face behind and above the eyes. I've seen lots of Cooper's and several Sharp-shinned( a Merlin or two as well), just looks like the smaller species.
@webfoot They are very similar!! I find them very difficult to distinguish and that's why I asked Robert what makes him think Shapr-shinned instead of Cooper's Hawk. He's been doing this a long time and knows what he is doing!!
Also I've had a chance to see some close up banding them and taking blood samples, we have to necropsy quite a few at the district for West Nile Virus testing as well.
@robv Thanks!! That's all good information!! I can tell most birds but usually when I see these I'm not sure which type I'm seeing. I would have said Cooper's Hawk since it seemed larger than the Sharp Shinned Hawks that I've seen but size is so hard to gauge! Also, because the tail seemed rounded rather than squared! However, it does seem to have a smaller head like you've said.
