Now for the Accipiter group . How do we distinguish the Accipiters from everything else?
Well the classic answer is rounded wing tips with fingers. By fingers I mean that they will often display individual primary feathers on the end of their wings. Accipiters have rounded wing tips, Falcons are pointed wing tips. So if you see a flying raptor and you want to say it is an Accipiter, you should see rounded wing tips. If you see pointed wing tips, it is a falcon. I have RARELY seen a falcon spread it's primaries into 'fingers'. Accipiters display 'fingers' all the time.
Then if you see a longish rectangular tail, banded with light and dark, it is an Accipiter. Falcons do not present a long, rectangular banded tail.
You should be able to eliminate Buteos from Accipiters and Falcons by their larger size, broader wings from to back and a slower more powerful wing beat. What do I mean by that exactly, a stronger, powerful wingbeat. If you watch a Buteo, like a Red Tail, they actually look kind of like they are "rowing" a boat in the air. They scoop the air with those powerful wings and if you study their flight you begin to understand what I am talking about!
Now how do we separate one Accipiter from another?? Well I pull out the Goshawk first. They are the largest Accipiter and are capable of bringing down a pheasant! Yes a pheasant. A Sharp shin would not even consider getting anywhere near a pheasant! They could suffer great damage if they did.
Plus the Goshawk is a bird of the deep woods. That is where they feel at home. You are very unlikely to see them in a farm field. They prefer to hunt from the security of the woods.
So once we master that, large woodland Accipiter, long rectangular banded tail and rounded wing tips=Goshawk, we are ready for the other 2.
Sharp shins stand on Long, slender yellow legs. They have an off white breast with numerous flecks of buff and brown. Their backs are either medium brown or rich gray depending upon male or female. Adults get cinnamon red flecks as they mature. In flight look for their slightly more slender bodies, rounded wing tips and narrow, rectangular banded tail. When they fly, they are very direct, here to there, not much in the way of circling. However I have noticed that they like to fly from place to place using a flap-flap-flap- and glide formula. Usually three flaps and a glide, three flaps and a glide.
Now for the Cooper's. As I have posted before, when they sit, they present a large head with a flat top head! Just like Frankenstein! In flight they generally appear brown above with a long, rectangular and banded tail. BUT if you get a good look at them flying, LOOK 👀 at the leading edge of the wing. From wrist to wrist, if you were to draw a straight line, their large Frankenstein head projects out in front of the leading edge of the wing. When you compare this to a Sharp shin, the sharp shin has a normal sized head. If you look at the leading edge of their wing, the head stays within that leading edge. It does not project out in front.
Well that pretty much sums up what I look at in Accipiters. Again practice, practice, practice. With repetitive views, you will get better!!!
