Animal
Cooper's hawk
Astur cooperii
A medium-sized accipiter — short rounded wings, long tail, sharp-shinned for high-speed forest pursuit of birds. The bird-eating hawk most-likely to be seen taking songbirds at suburban bird feeders. Year-round resident on Staten Island; one of the borough's three common diurnal raptor species (with red-tailed hawk and peregrine). Population has shifted toward suburban-and-urban nesting over recent decades.
Scientific
Astur cooperii (formerly Accipiter cooperii) is a 1–1.5 lb accipiter — short rounded wings and long tail are adapted for fast maneuverable flight through forest understory and around obstacles. Diet ~85% birds (songbirds and pigeons); occasional small mammals.
The species was historically a forest-interior breeder. Population recovery from DDT and shifts in suburban tree cover have produced a substantial suburban-and-urban breeding population over the past 30 years. NYC Cooper’s hawks now nest commonly in residential neighborhoods and parks.
Confused frequently with the smaller sharp-shinned hawk (A. striatus) — both accipiters with similar plumage; size and tail-shape differences are the main field marks.
On Staten Island
Year-round resident; nests on the borough. Greenbelt, parks, residential blocks with mature trees all support pairs. Often seen plunging through residential yards in pursuit of mourning doves, sparrows, and other songbirds at feeders. Numbers may peak in spring/fall migration as additional birds pass through.
See also
Auto-generated from this entry’s typed relations: frontmatter, grouped by relation type so the editorial signal isn’t flattened.
- Shares approach with: [[red-tailed-hawk]]
- Member of: [[animal]]
- Contained by: [[staten-island]]
Sources
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology eBird and species accounts
- NYC Audubon SI raptor-monitoring records
- Long-term Cooper’s hawk urban-ecology literature
Rooted in life.
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