The Sharp-Shinned Hawk can be difficult to identify because it looks similar to the Cooper’s Hawk.
Both species have blue-gray feathers on their backs and light red-brown feathers on their underbellies.
One telling difference is that the Sharp-Shinned Hawk is much smaller in size and has longer legs that can be seen while the bird is in flight.
They are actually one of the smallest hawks in the US. Since the Sharp-Shinned Hawk has long legs and talons, they are able to easily catch moving prey and often hunt smaller birds.
Similar to the Cooper’s Hawk, this species will chase these smaller birds through forests, but also sometimes hunt at suburban bird feeders.
This hawk is better at sneaking up on prey than chasing it or diving for it. However, they cannot digest feathers, so they must pluck their prey before eating it.
When mating, the birds will often fly in circles around one another.
The Sharp-Shinned Hawk usually nests high up in pine or aspen trees, in forests with dense tree cover.
Both the male and female will bring prey to their young, but the male is only capable of catching small prey because of his smaller size.
This species of hawk can be found year-round in Colorado, but the most common sightings are between September and April, when they have migrated to the region.
They are widely distributed and can live in a variety of habitats, but the best places to see them are in dense forests, on the forest edges, or in suburban areas near bird feeders.