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Find out about types of feeders and types of foods, and where to place your feeder
Feeding Birds FAQs
Explore the winter distribution, food, and feeder preferences of common feeder birds.
Find out about color and plumage variations, bald heads, and deformed bills
Unusual Birds Gallery
Find out about bird disease and identifying the signs of bird disease
Sick Birds Gallery
Find out how to identify birds and download identification tools
Learn how to help birds as they seek out food sources, nesting habitat, protection, and more
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Find an article archive packed with lots of great bird study information
Learn about house finch eye disease
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Cornell Lab of Ornithology feeders
Ontario (winter only)
See what birds occur the most by region
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See where FeederWatchers are
Graphs of regional population trends and distributions
Explore papers that have used FeederWatch data
Lab scientists analyze the data submitted by FeederWatch participants.
See birds well outside their winter range submitted to Project FeederWatch.
Start here for data entry and personal data review and exploration
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Rebecca Granger
Bancroft, MI, United States
I heard some loud screeching. Went to investigate and seen this unfolding. My heart just sunk. First time I have ever shown this photograph. Part of nature, I have to accept.
Week 14: Birds of Prey
Coopers Hawk & Red Bellied Woodpecker.
It’s crazy how small Coopers, and Sharp-shinned hawks are, but you don’t really notice until you can compare them to other birds. Red-bellied woodpeckers are pretty small and that hawks seems tiny compared to it! Cool image!
What a dramatic death and victory scene. The red feathered head to the blood spot on the beak stand out in this snow white landscape. I gasped a bit when I saw your photo because I love red-bellied woodpeckers. Although, I also admire the Cooper’s Hawk.
I was told by an “expert” birder that a Cooper’s hawk would not attack red-bellied or hairy wood peckers, instead it goes after the “little” birds. Did the Cooper know this rule?
Of course – there is the exception rule in Nature too.
Donna, last year I saw a Cooper’s Hawk chase a Pileated – I think I actually screamed out loud “No, not the Pileated!”. They flew out of sight, so I did not see the outcome…
Laurie! That is quite an interesting sighting you had, watching a Cooper’s chase a Pileated. I would have never guessed that a cooper’s would go after such a large bird.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I guess I will never underestimate a Cooper’s again!
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