COOPER'S HAWK 75 



Range. North America ; breeding in general throughout the 

 United States, and wintering from Colorado, Nebraska and Ohio, 

 southward. 



Cooper's Hawk is without doubt the most destructive of our resi- 

 dent diurnal birds of prey. It is a common species throughout the 

 State, arriving early in April and usually nesting the latter part of 

 that month or the first week in May. Cooper's Hawk is not often 

 found in large timber or where the giant oaks stand, but rather in the 



Fig. 26. Cooper's Hawk, young female. 



second growth, or among the scattered trees of brush-grown pas- 

 tures, and in the vicinity of streams and sloughs. It is a wary bird, 

 and not easily approached unless engaged in hunting or feeding. Its 

 dash and daring in securing poultry and game are well known, many 

 writers remarking that it lacks nothing of the spirit, but only the size 

 and strength of our larger birds of prey. 



