Young Sharp-shins, which are downy white, are fed upon small birds which are neatly plucked by the parent.
COOPER’S HAWK
Accipiter cooperi (Bonaparte)
Other Names.—Chicken Hawk; Blue Darter; Pigeon Hawk (erroneous); Hen Hawk.
Description.—Almost precisely like the Sharp-shin in proportions and coloration, but larger, the smaller male bird usually being a few ounces heavier than the largest female Sharp-shin, but not always to be distinguished easily from that species in the field. In the hand the Cooper’s Hawk may always be recognized by the shape of the tip of the tail which is rounded, not square, as it is in the Sharp-shin. Length: Male, 16 inches; female, 19 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A fairly common summer resident in wooded sections from March 1 to December 10; occasional in winter.
Nest.—A bulky mass of twigs, lined with flakes of bark, usually placed from 40 to 60 feet from the ground in a beech tree. Eggs: 3 to 6, chalky blue-white.
The Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s Hawks, both bird-killers, are fairly common and are to be rated as our most objectionable birds of prey. They are not protected in Pennsylvania.
GOSHAWK
Astur atricapillus atricapillus (Wilson)
Other Names.—Hen Hawk; Gray Hawk; Partridge Hawk; Squirrel Hawk; Chicken Hawk.
Description.—A large, heavy-bodied Hawk, with comparatively short wings and long tail; female considerably larger than male. Adults: Crown black; area above and back of eye white, marked irregularly with black; rest of head whitish, streaked with black; upperparts blue-gray, the tail marked with three or four broad blackish bands; underparts heavily and finely barred with clear gray throughout, also somewhat streaked, particularly on the breast; eyes red or red-brown; cere and feet yellowish green. Immature birds: Brown, not gray; plumage of upperparts dark brown, margined and edged with buffy and whitish, and on wing-coverts with rusty brown; underparts buffy white, heavily streaked with blackish. Length: Male, 21 inches; female, 24 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—Rare as a permanent resident in the northern, more mountainous counties; known to have nested at seven localities. As a winter visitant, irregular, though in some sections, notably among the eastern counties, to be found with some regularity from about October 20 to March 1.
Nest.—A large mass of sticks, with a shallow cup, lined with bark and occasional sprigs of green hemlock, placed from 40 to 60 feet up in a beech or hemlock tree. Eggs: 3 to 5, chalky white, with a faint bluish cast.
The Goshawk is our most savage destroyer of small game. In occasional winter invasions it is abundant, and at such times takes a terrific toll of Ruffed Grouse, Ring-necked Pheasants, poultry, and cotton-tail rabbits.
Goshawk
In the field, it has a very gray appearance, more so than any other species; even its heavily marked underparts, at a distance, are gray. It does not often circle in the sky, preferring to fly at about the level of tree tops, or, indeed, a few feet from the ground, so as to drop upon unsuspecting prey.