The Cooper’s Hawk belongs to a group of raptors called accipiters.  They have short, broad wings and long tails and specialize on foraging on other birds. Because of their maneuverability and predatory nature, they are often thought of as the “fighter planes” of the bird world.  This hawk has the ability to fly through a woodland and, literally, snag birds right off of their perches.  They also will regularly stake out backyard feeders and capture inattentive birds.  This particular species is about the size of a crow with females being larger than males (typical with most birds of prey).  This species is found in Illinois year around and their numbers have been increasing as of late.