Cooper’s and sharp-shinned hawks are in the genus Accipiter, which includes the northern goshawk that rarely shows up in Texas. Cooper’s hawk was named for American zoologist William Cooper ...

Accipiters include the sharp-shinned hawk, Cooper’s hawk and American goshawk. Buteos include the red-tailed hawk, rough-legged hawk, broad-winged hawk and red-shouldered hawk. Falcons.

To identify a Cooper's hawk, look for the long tail, a bluish grey back and a black cap, with rusty red barring in front on adults. They have a striped grey and black tail and upright posture.

Unbeknownst to me, a sharp-shinned hawk had been sitting in the large Eastern cottonwood tree that grows next to my deck. The blue jay, having had enough of the hawk, decided to come in close and ...

I gently reached. I gently resumed my original position and the hawk hadn’t moved. The photo gods were with me! The sharp-shinned hawk is the smallest member of a group of raptors known as the ...

The sharp-shinned hawk, commonly called a sharpie, is a small hawk with a big attitude. About the size of a blue jay, it is the smallest hawk in North America. No matter. Sharpies use their short ...

A blue jay (top left) and an immature sharp-shinned hawk (bottom right) take flight from an eastern cottonwood during an ongoing feud that was amusing to observe.

Because Cooper’s hawks are known for aerial gymnastics while hunting, it would be my guess that’s who your party crasher was. Either way, the hawk was most likely hunting prey.

Cooper's hawks teach us speed and stealth. ... Sharp-Shinned Hawk. As their name suggests, sharp-shinned hawks have very slender legs and wings for navigating dense forests.

Our daughter, who lives up the creek, spotted the culprit first; and shortly thereafter, it made an appearance at our place: a sharp-shinned hawk. Note: This column originally was published Jan. 1 ...