s and 83.1% for sharp-shins). In a study from northern Utah, Cooper's hawks were intermediate in most habitat characteristics, being at median elevation (), nest height ( against for sharp-shins and for goshawk) and in areas of intermediate branch density. However, the Cooper's nests were the closest in Utah to areas disturbed by humans ( against for sharp-shinned and for goshawk), also closest to water ( against in sharp-shins and for goshawk). There is often some level of distinction in habitat between the Cooper's and the sharp-shinned hawk. Compared to sharp-shinned hawks in Wisconsin and Oregon, Cooper's hawks use woods with fewer conifers, less dense stands of trees and stands with taller trees. Often, sharp-shinned hawk nests are lower in the trees and placed in much denser vegetation (often even the sharp-shins with their smaller frames themselves accidentally strike against branches while attempting to enter the nest), in order to hide the nest more sufficiently against predators. The habitat used by the two species in Missouri was less distinct (i.e. similar tree species used). However, the sharp-shinned hawk nests in Missouri were at much higher elevations, i.e. above sea level, than those of the Cooper's (which were at a mean elevation of ; more surprisingly the stand density was higher here for Cooper's, at a mean of 935.7 trees per ha than those used by sharp-shins, at a mean of 599.3 trees per ha. There was some level of temporal differences between the two species in study in Indiana, where the Cooper's hawks were generally active in the early morning but sharp-shinned hawks did not become active until later in the morning (hypothetically to avoid more severe interguild predation by large owls due to its smaller size). In northern New Jersey, compared to nesting goshawks, the Cooper's hawks used flatter lands that were closer to roads, other openings and human habitations. However, canopy coverage averaged high in New Jersey data for Cooper's, at 89.1%.