ID this Hawk?

[KONASDAD]

I got a picture of a hawk sitting in a tree outside a four door glass wall. Couldn't id myself...

[dlmarti]

Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus)

Would be my guess

[Shawn]

I think it looks like a coopers hawk, http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.surfbirds.com/media/gallery_photos/20060326085647.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.surfbirds.com/namericanbirds/hawk-owl.html&h=460&w=368&sz=49&hl=en&start=15&tbnid=VL30ftGdPKJM_M:&tbnh=128&tbnw=102&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcoopers%2Bhawk%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den. A sharp shinned hawk looks similar but smaller. I was studying to be a falconer at one point in my life.

[reinbeau]

The Coopers and Sharp-shinned both have a distinctively squared off, long tail - I agree with the Broadwing id.

[dlmarti]

Broad Wing Hawk Link

[johnnybigfish]

Shoot Shawn,
I agreed with you on this one...What I can see from my angle it looks like a coopers hawk. This is the kind that gets my pigeons. I said coopers hawk as thats what the Biologist from Sheppard calls the ones I have around my house...he traps them ALL the time for the air force..Takes them away and lets them go....He is paid to trap them to prevent bird strikes on the aircraft here.
But Then again, if he was sitting next to me he could tell us I suppose.The only thing that looks familiar to me is the spots on the breast.
your friend,
john

[Shawn]

Looks at the broad wing link and they too look like a coopers in a way. Johnny we have the coopers raiding bird feeders and cruising the roof tops chasing piegons here. When I work day shift I can always go to the park downtown and watch the coopers chasing piegons.

[KONASDAD]

I dont think its a sharp shinned or coopers. They have sqaure tails and the coopers is smaller than this one, and much greyer around here. I coudn't get a picture, but I had a much larger hawk eating a rabbit last week. Bigger than a red-tail, mostly brown w/ a huge chest as he sat atop the rabbit in an exagerated pose. I'm taking a closer look at some of the links. Awesome birds. Just love birds of prey.

[Kathyp]

harrier?  they are big and they are nasty.  cats, rabbits, whatever.  they'll eat them all.

[johnnybigfish]

Danno might know!
your friend,
john

[KONASDAD]

I*f you look at one flying and click on it, it will enlarge itself. I can see a small patch of red on its wing shoulder area. I just didn't think I got red shouldered hawks where i love, or does a broad wing hawk have a little red in it?

[dlmarti]

Red-shouldered hawks inhabit wetland forest types unique to the different
physiographic regions throughout northern and southern New Jersey. In north Jersey,
they occupy riparian forests, wooded wetlands, beaver meadows, and mesic (slightly
moist) lowland forests. Within the Pequannock Watershed, red-shouldered hawks are
found in stream bottomlands and coniferous or mixed forests containing eastern hemlock
or white pine (Pinus strobus). Nests are predominately located in wilderness areas where
there are abundant wetlands, small forest openings, and limited areas of large open water
such as lakes. In the Pequannock Watershed, red-shouldered hawks avoid areas of human
inhabitation, steep uplands, dry slopes, open water, areas with limited conifers, and areas
with too many or too few forest openings. Although red-shouldered hawks require
extensive tracts of forested habitat for nesting, territories may also contain edges where
the birds forage.
The majority of red-shouldered hawk nests in southern New Jersey are contained
within vast contiguous freshwater wetlands. Hardwood or mixed hardwood/cedar
swamps containing red maple (Acer rubrum), black gum (Nyssa sylvatica), sassafrass
(Sassafras albidum), sweetbay magnolia (Magnolia virginiana ), and Atlantic white cedar
(Chamaecyparis thyoides) are occupied by red-shouldered hawks. Often, such large
forested tracts are surrounded by oak/pine forests or agricultural fields. Although redshouldered
hawks nest in large contiguous tracts of wet old growth forests in Cumberland
County, they occupy younger wet woods, often on private property safeguarded from
high levels of human activity, in Cape May County.

Taken from here:  nj red hawk

[Kathyp]

http://images.google.com/images?gbv=2&hl=en&q=northern+harrier+hawk

[Shawn]

What about a Ferruginous Hawk. They are bigger than a red-tailed hawk and have a darker color.

[KONASDAD]

I looked at all of the links. Its probably a broad-wing hawk. I agree w/ Kath about the one I didn't get a picture of is probably a harrier. Thanx. It sure is hard to id one, isn;t it?