Fun Cooper's Hawk Facts For Kids

Cooper's hawks are native to the North American continent and are medium in size. Cooper's hawks are members of the genus Accipiter and are also referred to as true hawks, which are famously agile.

The Cooper's hawk species was named in the year 1828 by Charles Lucien Bonaparte to honor his friend ornithologist, William Cooper. There are different names that are given to the Cooper's hawk. Some of them are the chicken hawk, hen hawk, quail hawk, big blue darter, flying cross, striker, and swift hawk.

The different names that are given to the Cooper's hawk are because of its ability to hunt large and evasive prey by using extremely well-developed agility. They belong to family accipitridae and is one of the most majestic species in this family.

They prefer to nest in the tall trees that have extensive canopy cover and can also produce up to two to four fledglings based on the different conditions. The bird is a stable species and is not extinct.

The breeding attempts are compromised by poor weather, predators, and anthropogenic causes. To learn more about birds, check out these tawny owl facts and great green macaw facts.

Cooper's Hawk Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a Cooper's hawk?

Cooper's hawk (accipiter cooperii) is a type of nesting bird that lays eggs. Among the world’s fastest and extremely potent fliers, these common woodland hawks are so powerful that they can easily tear through the tree canopies in dense forests.

It is medium in size and even eats small mammals and reptiles. They have short rounded wings and rounded tails.

What class of animal does a Cooper's hawk belong to?

Cooper's hawks belong to a class of birds. The adult Cooper's hawks are different in color as compared to the juveniles. They are steely blue-gray in color and warm reddish bars on the underparts. The Cooper's hawks get attracted to the common birds such as sparrows, doves, thrushes.

How many Cooper's hawks are there in the world?

There is no accurate number as to how many Cooper's hawks are there in any forest. Cooper's hawks do not fall under the category of endangered or threatened species. Therefore, there is no correct number of Cooper's hawks in the world.

Where does a Cooper's hawk live?

Cooper's hawks live in different habitats which include mixed and deciduous forests, open woodlands, small woodlands, riparian woodlands, open and pinyon woodlands, and forested mountainous regions. They are located throughout different forest regions in the North American continent and southern Canada to Mexico. They undertake migration during winters to other regions where animals to prey can be easily found.

What is a Cooper's hawk's habitat?

The Cooper's hawk is known as a forest species and lives in a variety of areas, like mixed and deciduous forests, open woodlands, small woodlands, riparian woodlands, open and pinyon woodlands, and forested mountainous regions. Cooper hawks will stay according to the weather conditions.

For the purpose of nesting, the male and female built the best on a platform which is around 20-60 ft above the ground.

The nest will in trees that are located in heavily wooded areas. This nesting bird prepares its nest usually around the crotch or trunk of the trees.

Who do Cooper's hawks live with?

Cooper's hawks are monogamous, and the pairs mate for life. The pairs that are monogamous stay together for life with their partner and little one. If something happens to their partner, then the surviving member will find another mate for life.

How long does a Cooper's hawk live?

Cooper's hawks have a lifespan of 10-12 years. The oldest Cooper's hawk to ever to have lived and recorded was 20 years old. The lifespan of a Cooper hawk's depends on different factors that include environmental factors of different areas, surroundings, nutrition, and other factors that determine their lifespan.

How do they reproduce?

As Cooper's hawks are known as a monogamous species, where males mate with only their partner females for the entire life, the breeding only takes place once a year between the male and female partners who raise only one brood during every season.

The site to build a nest is chosen by the male, while the nest building is handled by the male and female together. It is common for a female to lay around 3-5 eggs during a nesting season in the nest.

One of the parents stays close to the nest to take care of the young ones.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of Cooper's hawks is of the least concern as their population is increasing and there is no threat or endangerment to the species. Cooper's hawks are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.

These birds are illegal to hunt, harm, trap, cage, shoot or poison them without having legal permission. Even their eggs are not allowed to be used for commercial purposes.

Cooper's Hawk Fun Facts

What do Cooper's hawks look like?

Adult Cooper's hawks are blue grey in color with red colored streaks towards the lower parts and a thick dark band that they have on their long tail. The wings and the back are usually blue-gray in color.

Whereas the juveniles have brown streaks on their upper breast, which renders them a hooded look that is quite similar to other sharp-shinned hawks from the similar species. They have a large head that projects ahead of the wings.

How cute are they?

Cooper's hawks are cute in their looks. Their eyes look angry whenever you see them. Seeing a Cooper's hawk signifies that it is time to take more initiative and be active in achieving your set goal in life. Their behavior is very aggressive and contrasts its cute appearance.

How do they communicate?

Cooper's hawks communicate by using different vocalizations and displays. The Cooper's hawk call makes use of vocalizations more often than visual displays as the dense forest makes it difficult for the other members to see the visual displays from far away.

It is estimated that Cooper's hawks have 42 different calls that are made by females, 22 by males, and 14 by the juveniles.

How big is a Cooper's hawk?

Cooper's hawks are usually small in size as compared to the other species of birds. A Cooper's hawk is 14-20 in size and weighs accordingly. There are other birds that are big in size as compared to a cooper hawk's.

How fast can a Cooper's hawk fly?

The flight of a Cooper's hawk is said to be rapid. This sharp shinned hawk has rapid wing beats with brief glides in usual flight and can fly at an average of 32 mph and range between 15-35 mph in migration. These birds fly swiftly whenever they see another predator approaching them.

How much does a Cooper's hawk weigh?

A Cooper's hawk weighs around 1.20 lb. The weight of a Cooper's hawk also depends on the nutrition that is provided to their body.

What are their male and female names of the species?

The male and the female name is just Cooper's hawk. These birds remain monogamous in their life and breed once a year.

What would you call a baby Cooper's hawk?

A baby Cooper's hawk is called juvenile Cooper's hawk . The baby Cooper's hawks are bred once a year, and the breeding season is in the month of March.

What do they eat?

Cooper's hawks are carnivores in nature. These birds eat medium-sized birds as well as larger and smaller birds for their food requirements. This bird species also preys on small animals like squirrels, mice, and bats for food. Sometimes, they also eat reptiles and insects as a part of their diet.

Are they aggressive?

Yes, Cooper's hawks are aggressive in nature as they are territorial birds. These birds are aggressive towards other raptors and are particularly sharp-shinned hawks. The Cooper's hawks even hurt humans when humans try to approach them closely. These birds are very proficient at hunting and prey on a range of small mammals.

Would they make a good pet?

These birds won’t make good pets as they can hurt human beings when humans try to get close to them. However, it is illegal to have a Cooper's hawk as a pet in your home.

If you wish to pet a Cooper's hawk, then it is necessary for you to get a special permit that is required to pet a Cooper's hawk in your home.

Did you know...

The female Cooper's hawks are around 33 percent larger than the males. This is one of the largest size differences for any male and female species of hawks. These birds are known to breed once in a year.

One of the secretive traits of the Cooper's hawks is that they surprise their prey and this makes it difficult to observe for humans.

The Cooper's hawk is one of the raptors that has powerful feet with sharp talons, helping it to catch its prey. The long tails of the Cooper's hawks allow them to be extremely manoeuvrable in the wooded areas. Cooper's hawks are known to be a problem and danger around poultry farms as these birds may occasionally capture unwary chickens.

How do Cooper's hawks kill their prey?

Cooper's hawks kill their prey by capturing the prey with the help of their powerful feet and killing it by squeezing it repeatedly. The Cooper's hawks tend to keep the prey away from the body until the animal has died.

These birds approach their prey stealthily and move quietly through the dense cover till the prey is so close that they can capture it by varying the speed accordingly.

Where do Cooper's hawks migrate to?

Any bird guide will tell you that the Cooper's hawks migrate according to the season. Cooper's hawks can be seen wintering around most of the continental United States.

It is common for the Cooper's hawks to migrate as far as southern Mexico and Honduras according to the change in the weather conditions. They usually migrate during the winter season in search for new food sources.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds including crowned eagle, or secretary bird.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our Cooper's Hawk coloring pages.