Hawk species?

[Buddym]

I've narrowed this hawk down to Coopers or Sharp-shinned Hawk or maybe Northern Goshawk?  Only picture I could fire off in time.  If anyone can give me the proper ID please and thanks.

[Bird-Boys]

1 minute ago, Buddym said:

Coopers or Sharp-shinned Hawk or maybe Northern Goshawk?

This

[Creeker]

We can eliminate Gos with those even lines on the tail. 

[Avery]

I’m getting a Coopers vibe. Not seeing the dark nape of a sharpie, and there is noticeable white on the edge of a rounded tail. 

[Tony Leukering]

While Coop may be right, it may not be. The photo seems to suggest a black crown, but it is so out-of-focus that I’m unwilling to back on it. Adult, certainly and either a female SS or a male CH.

[lonestranger]

28 minutes ago, Tony Leukering said:

Adult, certainly and either a female SS or a male CH.

Why this distinction? 

Edited April 2, 2021 by lonestranger

[DLecy]

33 minutes ago, lonestranger said:

Why this distinction? 

Size and structure are roughly the same in the two. Males accipiters are smaller than females, and Coops are larger than Sharpies, hence the distinction. It can be difficult to separate female SSHAs from male COHAs in the field.

[lonestranger]

12 minutes ago, DLecy said:

Size and structure are roughly the same in the two. Males accipiters are smaller than females, and Coops are larger than Sharpies, hence the distinction. It can be difficult to separate female SSHAs from male COHAs in the field.

So what rules out a female Coop's or male Sharpie? 

[DLecy]

Just now, lonestranger said:

So what rules out a female Coop's or male Sharpie? 

Better photos. ?

[DLecy]

Clearer photos can show things like the nape, body proportions, beak size, legs, and tail...all of which help aid in the ID.

This bird should be left as SSHA/COHA, as it's not a Goshawk.

[Buddym]

If location helps at all......  It was gliding and flying along and in a row of pine and cedar trees in a small barren town in the country looking for small birds.  No big forests around.

[Charlie Spencer]

1 hour ago, Buddym said:

If location helps at all......  It was gliding and flying along and in a row of pine and cedar trees in a small barren town in the country looking for small birds.  No big forests around.

Respectfully, you've described the natural environment.  Could you provide a named geographic location - city, county, state, park, refuge, etc?

I don't think it's likely to help, I'm mostly pointing out the difference between the terms as we use them here.

[Tony Leukering]

On 4/1/2021 at 8:20 PM, lonestranger said:

Why this distinction? 

Tail shape in accipiters is dependent not only on species, but also on age and sex. Adults and males have shorter, squarer-tipped tails than do juveniles and females. Adult male SS tend toward notched tails; if not notched, then usually quite squared. Adult female CH have noticeably more-graduated tails than do males. Since the tail is slightly rounded, it should rule out both adult male SS and adult female CH, although not in any absolute sense. Combining that with the relatively long appearance of the tail helps make that distinction a bit more certain. While the fairly sharp corners on the tail might suggest SS, the apparently wide pale tip to the tail suggests CH.