My sister and I are enjoying a short vacation at Disney World. I took my camera along just in case. After fighting the crowds at Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain and the Jungle Cruise, we found a quiet spot with a bench – well, relatively quiet, anyway – to get a brief respite from the throngs. Suddenly a smallish, sleek hawk flew into a thicket a few feet from our bench. It then flew up into a perch overlooking a small creek, and posed for well over a half hour.
A gentleman who also saw the hawk identified it as a juvenile Red-Tailed Hawk. That didn’t seem quite right to me. The hawk’s tail was just about as long as it’s body, and it was rounded. I’m more inclined to say a juvenile Cooper’s Hawk, but I haven’t spent a lot of time identifying hawks. Any input, anyone?
Flights of Wonder 
Your assumption is correct, this is definitely not a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk. It is a juvenile accipiter, either Sharp-shinned Hawk or Cooper’s Hawk. It doesn’t look large enough to be a Northern Goshawk, and this species wouldn’t be likely in Florida. Juvies are hard to identify – I’d venture Sharp-shinned, but don’t quote me on that.
Thanks for your input, Patrick! I have to check my hawk book when I get home, but he didn’t look small enough to be a Sharp-Shinned. Definitely wasn’t big enough for a Goshawk. The votes are leaning towards a Cooper’s. I’ll be curious to see if I can figure it out. It sure was a handsome hawk, however.
The tails of juvenile red-tailed hawks lack any banding and aren’t that long. I would say Cooper’s hawk because of the neck, but I’ve never seen a juvenile sharpie, but that looks just like the juvenile cooper’s hawk that I was able to follow for a year.
I always appreciate your input! Everyone seems to be leaning toward Cooper’s. He must have been a resident hawk at the Magic Kingdom, because the fireworks at the end of a performance didn’t spook him!!
I would say Cooper’s Hawk. Note the fine streaking that ends in a whitish belly and the thick legs. It also seems to have a large head. These guys are tricky, though, so even though I see lots of accipiters throughout the year I don’t often get a good enough look at them to ID them.
Thanks for chiming in on this, Gillian. The overwhelming consensus seems to be Cooper’s. Since I’m back home, I’ll get out the field guides, particularly to check sizes and defining characteristics.
I also am in the crowd that thinks it is a Cooper’s. I like the flattish head, where the Sharpies have a more rounded skull. Good photos, anyway, Judy.
Thanks, Bob. Somewhere around here I have a book just on hawks. It’s been a busy day, but I want to find that book and use it for my bedtime reading tonight!! I’m learning a lot of distinguishing characteristics from the feedback I’m getting from different folks. I’ll take all the help I can get!! Birders are wonderful folks!