Kritter Korner

  The Coopers Hawk is a crow-sized hawk, 14 to 20 inches long with a wingspan of 28 inches, with a long tail and short rounded wings. They make a loud cack-cack-cack-cack sound.

  Their  habitat is forests that are interupted by meadows and clearings. Their range is from British Columbia east to Manitoba and south to Mexico, Gulf Coast and northern Florida. They are rarely found in the Great Plains states. They winter from Central America to British Columbia.

  The nest is on a bulky platform of sticks and twigs, usually more than 20 feet above ground. The female lays 4 or 5 dull white eggs, spotted with brown.

  The Coopers Hawk feeds mainly on birds, which it chases relentlessly through the woods.  They will sometimes visit your bird feeder however they are not looking for sunflower seeds. They will also take small rodents.  During the incubation period and the early stages of brooding the young the male does all the hunting, bringing food to his mate and the young.  The young mature rapidly. A full 25 percent of young birds breed the year after they are hatched.