HAWKS 223 



feathers from the breast with their bill before beginning to feast. 

 The small size, long tail square at the end and swift flight 

 are points which serve to identify this species in the air. 



333. Accipiter cooperii (Bonap.). Cooper's Hawk. 



Plumage of adults : above slaty or bluish gray, the primaries barred with 

 dark ; crown blackish ; tail rounded, the outer feathers on each side about 

 half an inch shorter than the others ; tail ashy gray with dark crossbars and 

 a lighter tip ; throat whitish with darker streaks ; under parts transversely 

 barred with pale rufous and white. Immature plumage , upper parts fuscous 

 with rufous margins to feathers ; below whitish, more or less streaked and 

 spotted with blackish or darkish. To be told by the rounded tail from the 

 preceding. Wing of adult male 9.00 to 9.50; wing of adult female 10.00 to 

 11.00 ; tarsus of male 2.40 ; tarsus of female 2.70. 



Geog. Dist. — North America, breeding from southern British America and 

 Newfoundland to Mexico ; winters from Massachusetts to Southern Mexico. 



County Records. — Androscoggin; common summer resident, (Johnson). 

 Cumberland; common in migration, (Lord); rare, (Mead). Franklin; com- 

 mon summer resident, (Swain). Hancock; summer resident, rare, common 

 migrant, (Knight). Kennebec; rare, (Gardiner Branch). Knox ; (Rackliff). 

 Oxford; summer resident, (Johnson). Penobscot; seemingly a very rare 

 summer resident, but not uncommon in migration (Knight). Piscataquis ; 

 not uncommon, (Homer). Sagadahoc; common migrant, (Spinney). 

 Somerset; rare summer resident, (Morrell). Waldo; occasional at least, 

 (Knight). Washington ; not common, one of our rarest Hawks, (Boardman). 

 York; (Adams). 



Some seasons Cooper's Hawk occurs quite generally and 

 locally even commonly in migration, but as a breeding bird it 

 is decidedly rare in most sections of the State. In spring they 

 arrive about April fifth, and the last fall stragglers are gone 

 in late October as a rule. This species has the same dashing 

 habits and is as great a pest to the poultry, game and small 

 birds as its dashing relative, the Sharp-shinned Hawk, and 

 being larger and more powerful can take away somewhat larger 

 and heavier poultry. 



They are a less noisy bird than their relative, only occa- 

 sionally making a noise during the nesting season when their 

 treasures are seemingly in actual danger at which time they 

 utter a short cackling protest. 



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