Name that raptor

June 30, 2018 2:29 PM

Bird of prey in my alley. Peregrine falcon? Hawk? Photo link inside.

This guy was hanging out near my alley in Chicago. He went under the car in the picture and came out with a sparrow, which he then proceeded to eat. I think he must have attacked the sparrow in the air and then chased it under the car. There are Peregrine falcons around Chicago, but also hawks of different kinds. I've looked at some pictures on google of different types of raptors but can't decide which he is.

posted by Mid to Pets & Animals (7 answers total)

Juvenile cooper's hawk, perhaps.
posted by Cold Lurkey at 2:32 PM on June 30, 2018 [8 favorites]

I also immediately thought Cooper’s Hawk, but I am still learning about their plumage at different times of their lifecycle.
posted by stannate at 2:42 PM on June 30, 2018 [1 favorite]

Or similar Sharp Shinned Hawk.
posted by humboldt32 at 2:46 PM on June 30, 2018 [3 favorites]

Sharp shins are much smaller than Cooper’s. A full-grown female sharpie may get to be the size of a juvenile Cooper’s, but at that point you’d expect to see mature plumage.

Also in my experience, Cooper's hawks are commonly seen in urban/suburban midwest cities, while the Sharp shinned is less common to uncommon.

So I also vote for Cooper’s hawk, likely juvenile, unless the bird is somehow much smaller than it looks.
posted by SaltySalticid at 3:10 PM on June 30, 2018 [3 favorites]

Concur juve Coop. The head looks pretty capped and the legs fairy thick
posted by rtha at 3:24 PM on June 30, 2018 [2 favorites]

Agree Cooper's, they are urban-adapted hawks out here in California, too.
posted by agentofselection at 4:25 PM on June 30, 2018 [1 favorite]

I'm not entirely certain it's not a young Red Shouldered Hawk? It's probably a Coop, but I've been fooled before.
posted by ApathyGirl at 2:02 PM on July 2, 2018