You just saw a magnificent hawk sitting high up on a tree, but unfortunately, you don’t know what type of hawk it is. Knowing about different hawk species gives you an idea of their habitats, sizes, lifespans, and more, and it’s a must for any bird watchers out there.
So, let’s start with the Red-Shouldered Hawk vs. Cooper’s Hawk, two majestic birds of prey! These birds are common in the United States and have quite a lot of differences between them. From habitats to plumage, you can easily identify these two hawk species.
If you want to know more, embark on this journey of learning the differences between these hawks!
Difference Between the Red-Shouldered Hawk and Cooper’s Hawk
We’re going to let you in on the best tips to identify and differentiate between the Cooper’s Hawks and the Red-Shouldered Hawks. We always go through six key areas whenever we want to identify a bird.
- Habitat and Geography
- Weight and Size
- Anatomy
- Plumage
- Callings
- Lifespan
When you know about these important parts of a bird, you can easily identify them by seeing them. So, let’s discuss more!
Where Red-Shouldered Hawks and Cooper’s Hawks Are Found
Before we go into the differences, let’s get to know some similarities.
You will find both the Cooper’s Hawk and the Red-Shouldered Hawks in North America. These hawk species also love foraging and living the dense, woody forests.
Now, moving to their dissimilarities!
Cooper’s Hawks don’t only live in North America, but they also can be found in Central America. Aside from some areas of Northwestern Maine, Southern Great Plains, and Northernmost Montana, you’ll often see these majestic birds soaring high in the sky.
On the other hand, you’ll only find the Red-Shouldered Hawks in the Eastern parts of the U.S. and California’s narrow coastal range.
Despite the location differences, these two birds of prey love dense forests or woodland regions for shelter. But Cooper’s Hawks prefer to nest in more temperate, mixed, and deciduous forests, unlike the Red-Shouldered Hawks, who love a more suburban vibe.
Moreover, a Cooper’s Hawk usually hunts during the mornings and, on rare occasions, in the afternoon. But the Red-Shouldered Hawk hunts throughout the daytime near open spaces, waterways, forest borders, and coasts. These are their most important hunting grounds.
Now, let’s talk about their migratory habits. You may not know that Cooper’s Hawks are partially migratory birds. They migrate to the far south, even as far as Columbia, during the winter. The Red-Shouldered Hawks also migrate but only to Central Mexico.
Size & Weight Comparison
We didn’t find much of a difference between the Red-Shouldered Hawks’ and the Cooper Hawks’ size and weight. But the Red-Shouldered Hawk is slightly larger than the Cooper’s Hawk, like about a couple of inches.
Moreover, the Red-Shoulder Hawk weighs 1 to 2 pounds more than the Cooper’s Hawk. However, a Cooper’s Hawk’s weight and size vary on their location, but they’re never larger than the Red-Shoulders.
To be honest, it’s a bit difficult to recognize a hawk with its size and weight, but knowing it helps.
- Cooper’s Hawk:
- Weight: 0.5 lbs to 1.54 lbs (215 to 701 gms)
- Size: 13.7 inches to 19.6 inches (35 to 50 cm)
- Wingspan: 24.4 inches to 38.9 inches (62 to 99 cm)
- Red-Shouldered Hawk:
- Weight: On average 1.55 lbs (700 gms approx.)
- Size: 15 inches to 24 inches (38 to 61 cm)
- Wingspan: 35 inches to 50 inches (90 to 127 cm)
Aside from the above measurements of the hawk species, did you know females are actually larger than males? For example, a female Cooper’s Hawk is actually 40% heavier and 20% bigger than a male Cooper’s Hawk.
Anatomical Differences
If you want to distinguish between different birds, knowing their anatomy really helps. As a bird-watcher ourselves, this has helped us in many ways to recognize various birds whenever we see one.
Although both the Red-Shouldered Hawk and the Cooper’s Hawk look alike, they have some recognizable anatomical differences. Let’s look at their tails and wings.
The Red-Shouldered Hawks have beautiful long tail feathers, and their wings are more of an angular or square shape.
On the other hand, a Cooper’s Hawk has beautiful, moderately long tail feathers that look more of a wedge-like shape, and their wingspan has a rounded shape than the Red-Shoulder Hawk.
Moreover, Cooper’s Hawks have long but thick toes and legs, which is the opposite of the Red-Shouldered Hawks. They have long, thin toes and legs. Also, Cooper’s Hawks have forward-set eyes and square-type heads with short but strong hooked beaks.
You can also identify a Red-Shouldered Hawk through its flight because it flaps its wings like an Accipiter.
Plumage Differences
Do you want to know the best way to identify a hawk? Look at its beautiful feathers! Different hawk species have different color variations of feathers, which give them a unique look. The same goes for the Cooper’s Hawk and the Red-Shouldered Hawk and even their babies!
A Cooper’s Hawk has luscious gray-blue or brown-gray upper body feathers on their chest and sometimes their underbelly, whereas, Red-Shouldered Hawks have more rusty brownish-red heads, chests, and a bit of pale stomach feathers with red-colored bars.
Moreover, you’ll clearly see unique white and black narrow-striped feathers on a Red-Shouldered Hawk’s tail and wings, which is missing on a Cooper’s Hawk.
However, an adult Cooper’s Hawk has brownish-black feathers on their hindneck and nape region. They also have three black stripe bands with white tips on their blue-gray and pale tails.
But do you know the main difference between these two birds of prey? If you guess the noticeable red feathers of the Red-Shouldered Hawks, then you’re absolutely right.
A Cooper’s Hawk doesn’t have the brilliant red feathers that Red-Shouldered Hawks have. You will be able to see it when these majestic birds perch upon a tree and relax their shoulders. Trust us; the view is amazing!
Calls Difference
Always notice the calls of different birds whenever you go bird-watching. A bird’s call is the most distinguishable part and makes them easier to identify.
In the case of the Red-Shouldered Hawks, they actually have a two-note call, “kee-aah”. It’s a high and clear pitch tone where the second note is repeated by the bird multiple times. They usually call using this note when they’re flying or perching on a tree branch.
On the other hand, a Cooper’s Hawk has more of a cackling and harsh tone. It may sound to you like an evil laugh even. Researchers have said that their call sounds like “keh-keh-keh.”
However, male Cooper’s Hawks are likely to have a less harsh, faster-paced, and higher-pitched tone than their female counterparts.
Lifespan
We found a big difference in both the Cooper’s Hawks’ and the Red-Shouldered Hawks’ lifespan. As Red-Shoulder Hawks are typically a larger hawk species, they tend to live longer than Cooper’s Hawk.
A Red-Shouldered Hawk lives 15 to 20 years on average; on the other hand, a Cooper’s Hawk only lives about 10 to 12 years.
However, when these hawks are cared for in captivity, they’re likely to live longer because, in the wild, they have to worry about predators, traffic, and cars while hunting.
Conclusion
Each bird species are different in their own ways, and these differences make them a unique part of nature. Just like that, Red-Shouldered Hawks and Cooper’s Hawks are identifiable through their different physical attributes.
So, if you’re a bird watcher or just learning to identify different hawks, we hope our guide will help you learn about them. Now, enjoy the birds and a nice conversation!
