Cooper's Hawk
Accipiter cooperii
Cooper's Hawk is a secretive, ambush predator that eats mainly small birds. Adults are usually silent, but like other young birds, fledglings are often noisy; they make a high, sibilant, sometimes harsh whistle, whew, whew, whew. (Albany County, New York)
Habitat: A woodland bird. Takes birds from feeders. Becoming tolerant of humans.
Northern Goshawk
Accipiter gentilis
A stealthy predator on small mammals and medium-sized birds, the Northern Goshawk is usually silent, but it calls during courtship and is noisy around its nest. It ferociously defends its nesting area, and a human intruder is sure to be met by loud alarm calls made by a threatening adult that may attack. To record calls of undisturbed birds, an autonomous recorder was left overnight near a nest shortly after the young had fledged. The following were taken from the recording made the next morning: -- Alarm calls by an adult or a fledgling (older nestlings can make this call). The birds were apparently not as undisturbed as hoped. (48 sec; Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Least Flycatcher, Ovenbird and Scarlet Tanager in background). -- Wail calls by adult or fledgling (25 sec; a common Goshawk call). -- Excited fledglings possibly being fed. Some screams seem to morph into wail calls. (78 sec; Yellow-billed Cuckoo at beginning and Least Flycatcher in background.) (Albany County, New York)
Habitat: Coniferous, deciduous and mixed forests in Canada and northern USA and in mountains.
Red-tailed Hawk
Buteo jamaicensis
The cry of the red-tailed hawk is a harsh descending scream -- keeyaaaa. The red-tail calls while flying and while perched. (Albany County, New York)
Habitat: Perches along roadsides and in isolated trees or along edges of woods. Soars.