Julia, Tough call, but I think it is a Cooper's Hawk. The Cooper-shin debate is more of a democratic process than what most birders are used to. Seldom do you get a single dichotimous field mark, instead it is sort of a bunch of check marks in one column or another to decide what it is.
I'm more comfortable with identifying these species in flight than perched, but here are some observations: 1) A pigeon would be a pretty big kill for a Sharpie! 2) Sharpies are more reclusive, less tolerant of humans, and are less apt to eat in the open. Coopers thrive in suburban environments. 3) Streaks on the belly are more like upsidedown teardrops characteristic of a juvenile Coopers (variable among individuals) 4) Head is large, and the eye is positioned forward of a line between the back of the head and the front of the beak. On the Sharpie the eye is positioned almost exactly in the middle (due to its smaller head size) 5) Those are thick strong legs. When you see Sharpie legs, they are strikingly thin 6) There is a peach colored patch on the cheek. I have only seen this mentioned a few times, but I use this field mark successfully for juvenile Coopers. Chad -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds". To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en?hl=en Visit the CFO Website at: www.cfo-link.org To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cobirds+unsubscribegooglegroups.com or reply to this email with the words "REMOVE ME" as the subject.
