Bird of Prey

[Ruben Miranda]

Hello All
Any Bird experts out there.
I have seen this bird before and always thought it was a sparrow hawk of some sort.
The last few weeks it has been around a lot it is going after the small birds never seen it by the pond although he does drink out of the bird bath.

I did a search on birds of prey in So Cal but did not find him on the web the closest I came was a Falcon
http://www.birds-of-north-america.net/Peregrine_Falcon.html
Surly I am wrong right unless he got away from someone.

Here is a pic of the Bird I had to take it through a window so it is not the best pic.


I don't mind him Nature is nature and he is really awesome to watch and seems that he made my home his teriratory.

But any help on what he is would really help

Thanks
Ruben

 

[addy1]

It looks like a coopers hawk or sharp shinned hawk.

https://en.wikipedia...Cooper%27s_Hawk

Like the ones we have hanging around here.

 

[Ruben Miranda]

Hello
Thank you Addy
Yes the copper hawk looks very much like my vistor.
More then likly mine is a Juvenile that is why the colors don't match
But the discription from your link is pretty much dead on.

Again thanks
Do's not sound like it is a fish hunter so as long as it stays away from my babies then it can stay :razz:

Ruben

 

[addy1]

I have a bunch here, they have never gotten near the pond or fish, so yours are most likely safe.

 

[Craig58]

I'm going with a Kestrel, otherwise known as a sparrow hawk. The smallest member of the falcon family.

It's preferred meals are small song birds. Bird lovers don't like them. They will frequent gardens with bird feeders.

Craig

http://bindingbee.com/2011/11/an-auspicious-sign/

http://web4.audubon.org/bird/BOA/F2_G9d.html

 

[gardengimp]

It looks like a young Cooper's Hawk to me also, but I think it really depends on the size. Cooper's hawks are fledglings in late spring, and by this time of the year in Florida are nearly as large as a full grown hawk, just not yet bulked out - and still sporting the fledgling colors. Kestrel's are much smaller. I have a picture of a cooper's hawk in our bird bath, I'll try to find it and post. This time last year, I would regularly find a cooper's hawk sitting on top the fountain in the center of our pond. They don't typically go after fish, but they will hunt amphibians as easily as small birds.

Wed morning, driving down our main 4 lane drag through town, I watched an eagle diving into a tree in the median. That was really super cool. I want to go back next week with a scope and see if I can find a nest nearby. Eagles will fish, though they typically want to go for easier food. I've thought that Cooper's hawk might also fish if they weren't finding anything else around to munch on.

 

[Ruben Miranda]

Hello
Yes I was thinking Sparrow hawk to
But the pics I seen did not really depicked what I am seeing.
But there are so many veritys and he could be young and not have the adult colors.

Size at a guess
body hieght I would say 12" to 18" and add 5" to 6" for the tail
Wing span looks to be more the 12"
breast width 4" or 5"
Color looks to a dirty white/light brown and black tips
Curistoty really has me going so I will search somemore.
It is rain again today so hopefully he will come around and I can get a better pic

Ruben

 

[Craig58]

18" would be too big for a kestrel. With no reference points in the pic it's hard to judge his size.

Craig

 

[Ruben Miranda]

Hello
searching some more this guy looks a lot like my bird



He is a
Eurasian Sparrowhawk

he Eurasian (or Northern) Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Adult male Eurasian Sparrowhawks have bluish grey upperparts and orange-barred underparts; females and juveniles are brown above with brown barring below. The female is up to 25% larger than the male – one of the largest differences between the sexes in any bird species. Though it is a predator which specialises in catching woodland birds, the Eurasian Sparrowhawk can be found in any habitat and often hunts garden birds in towns and cities. Males tend to take smaller birds, including tits, finches, and sparrows; females catch primarily thrushes and starlings, but are capable of killing birds weighing 500 grams (18 oz) or more.
The Eurasian Sparrowhawk is found throughout the temperate and subtropical parts of the Old World; while birds from the northern parts of the range migrate south for winter, their southern counterparts remain resident or make dispersive movements. Eurasian Sparrowhawks breed in suitable woodland of any type, with the nest, measuring up to 60 cm (2.0 ft) across, built using twigs in a tree. Four or five pale blue, brown-spotted eggs are laid; the success of the breeding attempt is dependent on the female maintaining a high weight while the male brings her food. The chicks hatch after 33 days and fledge after 24 to 28 days.
The proportion of juveniles surviving their first year is 34%, with 69% of adults surviving from one year to the next. Mortality in young males is greater than that of young females and the typical lifespan is four years. This species is now one of the commonest birds of prey in Europe, although the population crashed after the Second World War. Organochlorine insecticides used to treat seeds before sowing built up in the bird population and the concentrations in Eurasian Sparrowhawks were enough to kill some outright and incapacitate others; affected birds laid eggs with fragile shells which broke during incubation. However, its population recovered after the chemicals were banned, and it is now relatively common, classified as being of Least Concern by BirdLife International.
The Eurasian Sparrowhawk's hunting behaviour has brought it into conflict with humans for hundreds of years, particularly racing pigeon owners and people rearing poultry and gamebirds. It has also been blamed for decreases in passerine populations; scientific research has found no link between increased numbers of Eurasian Sparrowhawks and declines in some farmland and woodland birds after World War II. Studies of racing pigeon deaths found that Eurasian Sparrowhawks were responsible for less than 1%. Falconers have utilised the Eurasian Sparrowhawk since at least the 16th century; although the species has a reputation for being difficult to train, it is also praised for its courage. The species features in Teutonic mythology and is mentioned in works by writers including William Shakespeare, Alfred, Lord Tennyson and Ted Hughes.



Did not see him/her today
But was not home much today
Then I was working on the fish tank so I was inside most of the time to.

Ruben

 

[addy1]

See the banding of the chest colors on the sparrow hawk, ours have more of a striping of the chest colors.

 

[HARO]

Cooper's or Sharp-Shinned.
John

 

[j.w]

It's a turkey in disguise :razz:

 

[Ruben Miranda]

Hello

JW wrote:

It's a turkey in disguise :razz:

Yes and it will be on my table tomorrow :razz:

Happy Thanks Giving
Ruben

 

[addy1]

Same to you! gobble gobble!