Unlimited edition. 18 x 24 inch, museum-quality poster on matte paper.

Cooper’s hawks are an “everyday raptor” for me – that is, I see them often enough that one might assume I’d take them for granted. But, no, I rejoice each time I see one of these finely dressed assassins perched in the branches of a neighborhood oak or flying overhead, its long tail closed and wings fixed in a “t.”

Speaking of those neighborhood oaks, beginning in the 1970s, ornithologists and birders noticed that Cooper's Hawks were becoming more active in suburban and urban landscapes. Today, the species is considered the most common backyard breeding raptor in North America. So why do “Coops” love the ‘burbs? They’re forest raptors, and they thrive in both extensive woodland habitats and smaller copses of trees. Using their relatively short, powerful wings and long tail, Cooper’s hawks are famous (or infamous, if you’re a robin) for whooshing through the woods, maneuvering over and around branches and trunks as they pursue their prey – mostly smaller birds, but some small mammals, as well. They make their best living, though, at forest edges because their hunting opportunities are enhanced when their preferred forest habitat is alongside open space such as a field, plain, or city park. In fact, researchers have observed local population increases following human fragmentation of woodland habitat. Moreover, when well-meaning suburbanites hang a bird feeder in a wooded or partially wooded suburb, you’ve laid the table for a Coop.

Among suburban killers, the Coop is one of the more handsomely dressed. Males and females wear similar outfits, but there are a few differences. The male’s coloring is generally darker, with more slate blue in its back and wing feathers, whereas the female is not as dark, and her back appears warmer, more brown-grey than blue-grey. She’s also about 1/3 larger than the male, a trait common among birds of prey, but the Cooper’s hawk displays the greatest sexual size dimorphism of any of the world’s hawks! 

Note: These archival poster prints feature rich, appealing colors. I encourage customers to take care in handling them until they are framed/protected for display; the darker colors on the matte paper can be scratched. They ship rolled, so customers need to flatten them before framing (or have their framer do so).

Charitable Sales Model: Whenever one of these poster prints is purchased, a charitable contribution equal to 10% of the print’s cost (or $3.60) is made to a nonprofit working to tackle environmental or social challenges. Read more about my charitable sales model here.