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Photohiker | all galleries >> Wildlife of Southern California >> Birds of Southern California > Sharp-Shinned Hawk
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18-OCT-2006

Sharp-Shinned Hawk

Accipiter striatus
Orange County, California

Canon EOS 30D
1/500s f/5.6 at 203.0mm iso1600 full exif

other sizes: small medium original auto
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Dennis Ancinec30-Apr-2007 14:05
Looks like a sharp-shinned to me. The tail is the key to this bird. All Cooper's have graduated tails. That is the central tail feathers are longest, and the outer feathers are shorter, which can be seen well on a ventral view like these (however, you usually can't tell from behind with a closed tail).
Note the dark nape (back of the neck) that is darker than the crown. Diagnostic for Sharp-shinned on an adult bird like this one. A Coop would have a dark crown / pale nape combination. This is reinforced by the small head, short neck and small bill.
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