Editing Cooper's hawk (section)

===Confusion species===
[[File:Coopers Hawk From The Crossley ID Guide Eastern Birds.jpg|thumb|left|Composite image of Cooper's hawks for identification]]

''Accipiter'' species in North America are arguably the most vexing raptor to identify in the continent.<ref name= Crossley>Crossley, R., Liguori, J., & Sullivan, B. L. (2013). ''The Crossley ID Guide: Raptors''. Princeton University Press.</ref><ref name= Liguori>Liguori, J. (2005). ''Hawks from every angle: how to identify raptors in flight''. Princeton University Press.</ref><ref name= Clark>Clark. W.S. (1984). ''Field identification of Accipiters in North America''. Birding, 16: 251–263.</ref> The other two species in North America are the smaller [[sharp-shinned hawk]] (''Accipiter striatus'') and the larger [[northern goshawk]] (''Accipiter gentilis''). Compared to the other two ''Accipiters'', Cooper's have an intermediate amount of feathering at top of the tarsus, as well as intermediate relative middle toe length and eye proportions, but have relatively the longest tail and the shortest wings of the three.<ref name= Palmer/> Cooper's and sharp-shinned hawk are very similar (sometimes considered almost identical) in plumage characteristics at all stages of development.<ref name= Ferguson-Lees/><ref name= Liguori/> Most Cooper's hawks are considerably larger than most sharp-shinned hawks.<ref name= Palmer/> Generally, Cooper's species is [[crow]]-sized, with the males about the size of a [[Fish crow|small crow]] and the females the size of a [[American crow|large crow]], while most sharp-shinned hawks are about the size of a large [[Steller's jay|jay]].<ref name= Brown/> Also in the hand, Cooper's hawks and sharp-shinned hawks may be fairly reliably distinguished by their sizes, with the smallest male Cooper's always being heavier and larger clawed than the largest female sharp-shinned hawk (with a 97–98% difference in dimensions of the wing and tail).<ref name= Smith/><ref name= Hoffman/> However, in the field, especially when hawks must be identified in at a distance or at unfavorable angles (such as when migrating) or at a brief glance (such as when hunting), even experienced [[birdwatcher]]s may not always be able to certainly distinguish the two species, especially female sharp-shins against the nearly similarly sized male Cooper's.<ref name= Crossley/><ref>Roberts, T. S. (1932). ''Manual for the identification of the birds of Minnesota and neighboring states''. U of Minnesota Press.</ref> The sharp-shinned hawk usually evidences a slimmer, slighter look, with more dainty features, and has relatively longer wings and a shorter and more squared tail with a much thinner white tip. Other slight differences may be noted in plumage via the sharp-shins lacking the capped appearance of adult Cooper's (being more hooded) and being generally slightly darker above. 

Juvenile sharp-shins, upon relatively leisurely study, can be seen to differ from juvenile Cooper's by having clearer supercilia, browner cheeks and less extensive whitish mottling above and also coarser streaking below extending more to belly.<ref name="Ferguson-Lees" /><ref name="Crossley" /> Bare parts, mostly distinguishable as well at close range, differ by the more centered and clearly relatively larger eyes and notably stick-like legs of the sharp-shins.<ref name="Ferguson-Lees" /><ref name="Liguori" /> However, often these features can often be difficult to impossible to discern when the hawks are seen in the wild.<ref name="Ferguson-Lees" /><ref name="Crossley" /><ref>Liguori, J. (2011). ''Hawks at a distance: identification of migrant raptors''. Princeton University Press.</ref> More distinctive in the field is the larger, more protruding head of the flying Cooper's hawks rather than the compact, rounded head of the sharp-shins which barely appear to exceed the leading edge of the wings in flight.<ref name="Crossley" /><ref name="Liguori" /><ref name="Clark" /><ref name="Dunne">Dunne, P., Sibley, D., & Sutton, C. (1988). ''Hawks in flight: the flight identification of North American migrant raptors''. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH).</ref> Sometimes Cooper's is considered to look like a "flying cross" in comparison to the sharp-shins. ''Accipiter'' hawks of all species are seen mostly flying with quick, consecutive wing beats and a short glide (sometimes abbreviated as "flap-flap-glide"), though the species may also soar as well.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/Infocenter/i3330id.html |title=''Cooper's hawk Accipiter cooperii'' |access-date=November 18, 2008 |author1=Robbins, C.S. |author2=Bruun, B. |author3=Zim, H.S. |date=July 3, 2008 |work=Patuxent Wildlife Research Center |publisher=USGS |archive-date=January 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200102124816/https://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/Infocenter/i3330id.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title= Cooper's Hawk Identification| publisher= Lab. of Ornithology, Cornell University| url= http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/coopers_hawk/id| website= allaboutbirds.org| access-date= August 21, 2012}}</ref> However, the sharp-shinned hawk has a more buoyant flight with faster wing beats than Cooper's and soars with flatter wings (although again variations in the field make these characteristics far from foolproof).<ref name="Crossley" /><ref name="Liguori" /><ref name="Dunne" />

[[File:Accipiter cooperii striatusDO1908P0203A.jpg|right|thumb|Comparison of a male Cooper's hawk (left) with [[Meadowlark|prey]] and a female [[sharp-shinned hawk]] (right) with [[Rose-breasted grosbeak|prey]]. Both prey items are about one third the weight of the respective hawks.]] 
As for the northern goshawk, the smallest male is still usually "clearly" larger than most large female Cooper's hawks.<ref name= Ferguson-Lees/> In the Goshutes mountains, migrant male goshawks overlapped with female Cooper's hawks only in the length of the tail and the tarsus, with the body mass especially being quite distinct.<ref name= Hoffman/> In Oregon, male goshawks averaged no less than 34% more massive than female Cooper's hawks, however the footpad of Cooper's females was almost the same size (7% larger on average in the latter) as the male goshawks (these may be features adapted to procuring birds as prey more so as bird-hunting raptors tend to have more elongated foot morphology).<ref name= Henny/><ref>Fowler, D. W., Freedman, E. A., & Scannella, J. B. (2009). ''Predatory functional morphology in raptors: interdigital variation in talon size is related to prey restraint and immobilisation technique''. PLOS ONE, 4(11).</ref> Proportionately, goshawks have longer, broader wings, shorter tail and a generally more [[Buteo|''Buteo''-like]] form overall.<ref name= Ferguson-Lees/><ref name= Liguori/> Adult goshawks also have broad supercilia, pale gray color on the underside and a much darker [[Slate|coloring]] on the back. Given reasonable views, adult goshawks are very different looking and hard to mistake for any Cooper's hawk.<ref name= Palmer/> 

Meanwhile, the juvenile goshawk is much paler edged above than the smaller Cooper's, including a panel formed along larger wing coverts. Below, juvenile goshawks have heavier streaks of a darker brown color than juvenile Cooper's. Also, the banding on the tail is off-set on goshawks, creating a zigzag effect on the tail, unlike the even barring on the juvenile Cooper's.<ref name="Ferguson-Lees" /><ref name=BOW /> Again, though, female Cooper's and male goshawks can come close to the same size and the not dissimilar juvenile plumage of the two species can lead to regular misidentification, especially to those with less prior experience viewing the more scarce goshawk.<ref name="Crossley" /><ref name="Liguori" /><ref name="Dunne" /> The most reliable way to distinguish a large juvenile ''Accipiter'' in the field are the differing proportions of the two species, followed by the heavier streaking below and irregular tail banding of the goshawk.<ref name="Crossley" /><ref name="Clark" /> For Cooper's hawk, there may be a possible and marginal overlap with the [[bicolored hawk]] (''Accipiter bicolor'') in southern Mexico and Central America. The latter species of similar form and size but at all ages is generally unmarked with bars or streaks below, also with a more or less uniform mantle.<ref name="Ferguson-Lees" /><ref name="HBW" /> 

Vagrating migrant Cooper's hawks to [[Cuba]] may very rarely occur alongside another close relative, [[Gundlach's hawk]] (''Accipiter gundlachi''), which is quite similar in most aspects to Cooper's but is slightly larger with a darker hue about the back and the cap, a gray cheek, more dense and rich rufous color on the underside and wing panel in adults and darker and more heavy streaking in juvenile form.<ref name="Ferguson-Lees" /><ref name="HBW" /><ref name="Rodriguez-Santana">Rodríguez-Santana, F. (2010). ''Reports of Cooper's Hawks (Accipiter cooperii), Swainson's Hawks (Buteo swainsoni), and Short-tailed Hawks (Buteo brachyurus) in Cuba''. Journal of Raptor Research, 44(2), 146–150.</ref><ref>Garrido, O. H. (1985). ''Cuban endangered birds''. Ornithological Monographs, 992–999.</ref> 

More unlikely to be mistaken for a Cooper's hawk are some [[Buteoninae|buteonine hawks]] such as [[gray hawk]]s (''Buteo plagiatus''), [[roadside hawk]]s (''Rupornis magnirostris'') (in Mexico and points south) and [[broad-winged hawk]]s (''Buteo platypterus'') which are all similar in size to Cooper's as well as the slightly larger [[red-shouldered hawk]] (''Buteo lineatus''). Even the most similar buteonine hawks have notably different proportions than a Cooper's hawk, possessing relatively much longer wings and a much shorter tail. Given reasonable views, all such species are fairly to extremely different in plumage even in juvenile form.<ref name="Ferguson-Lees" /><ref name="Crossley" />