Fauna Flora Photography

Sharp-shinned Hawk Accipiter cooperi

A small sized hawk with a dark cap and dark blue-grey back. Habitat occurs in a wide range of woodland and forest types. It surprises its prey from cover or while flying through dense vegetation.

How to Identify

Very similar to Cooper’s Hawk but smaller. Hunting behaviour and habitat is also similar although my impression is that this species more often flies fast low over the ground while searching for prey. A distinctive character is the form of the head which is round.

Where and When to Spot

I never identified this species in parks in or around Montreal. The only time I observed this species was in Newfoundland.

	Spring	Summer	Fall	Winter
Jardin Botanique de Montréal	-	-	-	x
Parc de la Frayère	x	-	-	-

Where and when a species has been observed, identified, and recorded.

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Last updated on 2024-03-14. Written and regularly updated by Karl-Heinz Müller, Dipl. Natw. ETH, Biology. With 10 years of experience in wildlife photography, Karl-Heinz shares first-hand, on-site collected observations, photos and videos from his frequent visits to parks in the Montreal area.