COOPER'S HAWK 117 



lacked little if anything of that stern and dignified bearing so characteristic of 

 adult Hawks at most, although by no means all, times. After watching them 

 awhile I shot one, when the three survivors flew heavily up into a spruce 

 where another was promptly killed, the remaining two being permitted to 

 escape. 



Plumages. — In the first downy stage the young Cooper's hawk 

 is thickly covered above, and more thinly below, with short white 

 down, faintly tinged with cream color above. This short down is 

 replaced later, before the plumage starts to grow, with long, woolly, 

 pure-white down, with which the young bird is thickly covered above 

 and below. The juvenal plumage starts to grow before the bird is 

 three weeks old, beginning on the wings and tail, closely followed by 

 the scapulars, back, and sides of the breast. Two young birds, about 

 22 to 24 days old, had the remiges about one-third grown and the 

 rectrices less than one-quarter grown, all partly in sheaths. The 

 young leave the nest when about five weeks old, before the flight 

 feathers are fully developed and while still partially downy on the 

 head, center of the breast, flanks, and legs. 



In fresh juvenal plumage the upper parts are "bone brown" to 

 "clove brown", edged on the crown and tipped on the back, wing 

 coverts, and upper tail coverts with "tawny" or "ochraceous-tawny", 

 lightest on the tail coverts; there is a white line over the eye; the 

 chest is washed with "pinkish cinnamon" and heavily marked with 

 broad, hastate, dusky streaks; the flanks and breast are white, with 

 narrow dusky streaks; the belly is immaculate white; and the legs 

 (tibiae) are marked with "huffy brown" cordate spots. This plumage 

 is worn throughout the first winter and spring, the colors fading 

 somewhat and the edgings wearing away. Young birds begin to 

 breed in this plumage. A complete molt begins in June, starting 

 with the wings and tail and ending with the body molt in summer. 

 This produces a second-year plumage that is practicaly adult, but 

 the full perfection of the adult plumage is not acquired for at least 

 another year. 



Adults have a complete annual molt from July to October. The 

 sexes are alike in juvenal plumage; the adult male is more brightly 

 and heavily marked below and more bluish above, the female being 

 duller below and more brownish above. The female is much larger 

 in all plumages. 



Food. — Cooper's hawk does more damage in the poultry yard than 

 all other hawks put together. It is very destructive to domestic 

 pigeons, of which it is very fond, and, if not killed, will soon clean 

 out a colony. It soon learns also where it can find a convenient 

 supply of half-grown chickens or young ducks, to which it makes 

 frequent visits, until its career is ended. It is not easily killed, how- 

 ever, as it is usually crafty enough and quick enough to avoid the 



