juvie Sharpies have brown eyes that yellow with age.
Do you have any references to this? In my bird book (National Geographic) both Coopers and Sharpie juveniles have yellow eyes.
/Thomas
Hi Thomas, yes the reference comes from Mitch Waite's iBird software which I think is the same information used in his Whatbird.com site, where it says;
Sharp-shinned Hawk: Small hawk with blue-gray upperparts and rufous bars on white underparts. Eyes are dark red. Wings are short and rounded. Tail is long and squared with heavy bars. Sexes are similar, although female is usually larger. Juvenile has browner upperparts, brown-streaked white underparts, and dark brown eyes that turn yellow with age.
It seems that differentiating Coopers from Sharp Shinned Hawks is often a difficult thing to do and makes for good discussion which usually confuses me even more
Perhaps the squarish tail & light coloured head suggest the above bird is a Sharpie.....its for sure a juvie
