I was looking for some birds this morning who were 'singing' in our back yard, and one in particular was making an interesting sound. So I walked out toward the back of the yard where the trees border the property. As I walked toward the direction of one sound, a bird flew overhead coming from the direction of that sound. It appeared to be a Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii), which looks similar in flight to a Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus). Cooper's though are supposed to be common in the Hudson Valley of NY. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera with me, and it would have been difficult to take a picture unless I had my finger ready. The bird flew over the tree tops rather quickly.
Anyway, the Hawk family consists of Accipiters, which are generally forest dwelling and have short wings and long tails for maneuvering among trees, and the Buteos, which generally prefer open country and have wide wings for soaring and proportionally shorter tails.
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