Home range and habitat use of Cooper's hawks in urban and natural areas of southern California

Radio-telemetry data from eight male Cooper's hawks (Accipiter cooperii) in urban and natural areas of southern California were collected and analyzed in order to determine home range and habitat use during the breeding and nonbreeding seasons. Home range estimates were calculated using the adaptive kernel method at the 95% contour level. Breeding and nonbreeding season home range estimates (545 ha +/- 244 SD vs. 234 ha +/- 98 SD) differed significantly. Average annual home range size for urban and natural Cooper's hawks were not statistically different (359 ha +/- 181 SD vs. 531 ha +/- 329 SD). Habitat used by hawks differed from what was available for all birds tested. Natural Cooper's hawks used willow, coast live oak riparian forest, and coast live oak woodland habitats more than expected, whereas three of the four urban Cooper's hawks used parks and ornamental plantings more than expected.