Hawks and eagles (Accipitridae)
Baby Cooper's hawks: from egg to fledgling
A Cooper's Hawk lays 2–6 eggs. They hatch after 30–36 days, and the young leave the nest 27–34 days later — about 57–70 days from egg to fledgling.
- Eggs per clutch
- 2–6 eggs
- Incubation
- 30–36 days
- Time in the nest
- 27–34 days
- Egg to fledgling
- About 57–70 days
- Broods per year
- 1 per season
- Nest
- Stick platform in a dense tree crotch, 25–50 ft up
- Uses nest boxes
- No
Stage by stage
- Eggs (30–36 days): 2–6 eggs per clutch. Most songbirds start incubating when the last or second-to-last egg is laid, so the young hatch close together; owls and hawks start with the first egg, so their chicks hatch days apart.
- Nestlings (27–34 days): the young hatch with little or no down and their eyes closed. They grow fast on a diet the parents bring in. In the breeding season Cooper's hawks mainly eat doves, jays, starlings and chipmunks.
- Fledglings: after leaving the nest, young Cooper's hawks are fully feathered but short-tailed and clumsy. They spend days to weeks on low branches or the ground while the parents keep feeding them.
- More broods: 1 per season.
When Cooper's hawks nest, state by state
Nesting starts earliest in Alabama (Feb) and latest in Alberta (Apr). Months are estimates from regional breeding data shifted for latitude.
| State / province | Nesting season |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Feb–Jun |
| Alberta | Apr–Jun |
| Arizona | Feb–Jun |
| Arkansas | Mar–Jun |
| British Columbia | Apr–Jun |
| California | Feb–Jun |
| Colorado | Mar–Jun |
| Connecticut | Mar–Jun |
| Delaware | Mar–Jun |
| Florida | Feb–Jun |
| Georgia | Feb–Jun |
| Idaho | Mar–Jun |
| Illinois | Mar–Jun |
| Indiana | Mar–Jun |
| Iowa | Mar–Jun |
| Kansas | Mar–Jun |
| Kentucky | Mar–Jun |
| Louisiana | Feb–Jun |
| Maine | Apr–Jun |
| Manitoba | Apr–Jun |
| Maryland | Mar–Jun |
| Massachusetts | Mar–Jun |
| Michigan | Mar–Jun |
| Minnesota | Apr–Jun |
| Mississippi | Feb–Jun |
| Missouri | Mar–Jun |
| Montana | Apr–Jun |
| Nebraska | Mar–Jun |
| Nevada | Mar–Jun |
| New Brunswick | Apr–Jun |
| New Hampshire | Apr–Jun |
| New Jersey | Mar–Jun |
| New Mexico | Mar–Jun |
| New York | Mar–Jun |
| North Carolina | Mar–Jun |
| Nova Scotia | Apr–Jun |
| Ohio | Mar–Jun |
| Oklahoma | Mar–Jun |
| Ontario | Apr–Jun |
| Oregon | Mar–Jun |
| Pennsylvania | Mar–Jun |
| Quebec | Apr–Jun |
| Rhode Island | Mar–Jun |
| Saskatchewan | Apr–Jun |
| South Carolina | Feb–Jun |
| Tennessee | Mar–Jun |
| Texas | Feb–Jun |
| Utah | Mar–Jun |
| Vermont | Apr–Jun |
| Virginia | Mar–Jun |
| Washington | Mar–Jun |
| West Virginia | Mar–Jun |
| Wisconsin | Apr–Jun |
| Wyoming | Apr–Jun |
Found a baby Cooper's Hawk?
- Feathered, hopping, can grip your finger: a fledgling. This is a normal stage. Keep pets and children away and watch from a distance; the parents are usually close by.
- Bare skin or only pin feathers: a nestling that fell. If you can see the nest, put it back. Touching it won't make the parents abandon it — that is a myth.
- Injured, cold, covered in flies, or caught by a cat: contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. In the US and Canada, ahnow.org finds the nearest one.
- Don't give water or food. Baby birds can choke, and the wrong food can kill them.
More about Cooper's hawks
Frequently asked
How long do baby Cooper's hawks stay in the nest?
About 27–34 days after hatching. Eggs take 30–36 days to hatch, so it is roughly 57–70 days from the last egg to the young leaving.
How many eggs does a Cooper's Hawk lay?
2–6 eggs per clutch, with 1 per season.
Where do Cooper's hawks nest?
Stick platform in a dense tree crotch, 25–50 ft up.
What should I do if I find a baby Cooper's Hawk on the ground?
If it has feathers and hops, it is a fledgling and its parents are almost certainly nearby — leave it. If it is naked or has pin feathers, put it back in the nest if you can. Call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator if it is injured.