Hi — complete amateur here. Joined the community to see if someone could help me with identification. This small raptor (standing 6-8 inches at most) visited our yard (San Francisco Bay Area). It looks quite young, and it has a band on its left leg. Any information would be appreciated.
I agree with Stuart. It is an Accipiter, similar to A. Striatus from South America.
Thank you — I now think it is a Sharp-shinned Hawk. When I tried to identify it online earlier, I guessed a Coopers Hawk, but there were enough differences to make me wonder.
Sharp-Shinned sounds about right. I see them every now and then in Nashville-area of TN.
Here’s a short video of the same hawk: http://kentcrispin.com/hawk.html
Thank you, Kent. I forgot to congrat for your photo.