Sharp-shinned Hawk

An adult, female Sharp-shinned Hawk is larger than her mate (presumably to keep him in line at the nest). Both are smaller (and do not overlaps in size) than the otherwise similar Cooper’s Hawk. Sharp-shins can be told by their square tip of the tail, their dark cap running down the back of their neck, and their, smaller, more rounded profile head. Both of these hawks are terrors at the bird feeder. Sharp-shins consume birds and a few small mammals. In the fall, they are particularly found of juncos. I sure hope that this individual, banded on 8 October 2019, will not remain in Olympia this winter. The species breeds across Alaska and Canada south through both Eastern and Western mountains. They winter across the United States south through out Mexico to Panama. Sharp-shinned Hawks are also resident across much of South America.