Creeper’s Hawk

Another hawk visit outside my condo building - It wasn't easy to ID at first, but after some research my best guess was a female Coopers Hawk (Accipiter cooperii). The adult males are crow-sized, with orange/red eyes and grey feathers on the back - however, the juveniles and females sport this mottled brown look. Females are up to 1/3 larger than adult males (one of the largest sexual dimorphism size difference of any hawk), and she was closer to the size of a Red-tailed Hawk. Another key trait was the long rudder-like tail, which provides added maneuverability in flight for catching prey on the wing. This particular specimen was largely preoccupied with the meal, which allowed me lots of time to work with the subject.