Cooper's Hawk is a powerful, agile woodland hawk that specializes in catching birds, threading through dense forest at high speed to surprise prey at feeders and in shrubby cover. It has adapted remarkably well to suburban environments, now nesting in many American cities. Females are substantially larger than males, a reversal typical of raptors that hunt agile prey.
Best time to see a Cooper's Hawk
The best time to see a Cooper's Hawk is July–January, when about 62% of U.S. sightings happen, based on 119,710 research-grade iNaturalist observations.
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