I had the extreme privilege of contributing to Robert Rosenfield’s new book on the natural history of the Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii). I illustrated the birds for the cover, as well as a figure in the book that describes the bowing courtship display.

Male Cooper’s Hawk Bowing display – Illustration for Robert N. Rosenfield’s new book on the natural history of the Cooper’s Hawk. 

I wasn’t able to find photos for reference to illustrate the bowing behavior, so I used Robert’s descriptions of the behavior, other illustrations such as that found in the BNA account, and a specimen that I prepared myself (housed at Boise State University’s Museum of Vertebrate Zoology). It was the first time I’ve relied largely on a specimen for an illustration, which turned out to be a very satisfying exercise that I hope to continue into the future of my work as an illustrator. 

This book is now available for prepurchase on Hancock House Publishers website. If you are a birder, naturalist, biologist, or simply bio-curious, then this book is certainly a must-have for your library, so make sure to get your copy now!