Cooper's Hawk
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The Cooper's Hawk is a common raptor of woodlands throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. Unlike other raptors that soar and dive for prey on the ground, Cooper's Hawks feed on other birds often in flight. They are skillful flyers, gliding while looking for prey and furiously beating their wings in pursuit of a target. A Cooper's Hawk can quickly "empty the house" at backyard feeders as they look for easy prey. The image above on the left was captured at Whitewater Draw in Cochise County in December of 2015, on the right from Agua Caliente Regional Park in November of 2016. Below, an image of a Cooper's Hawk wading at Agua Caliente, and to the right, a hawk taking off. The latter is not a great image, but is a rare (for me) image of the bird in flight, and allows viewing of the body, wings and tail.
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