Cooper's hawk ("Accipiter cooperii") is a medium-sized hawk native to the North American continent and found from southern Canada to Mexico. This species is a member of the genus "Accipiter", sometimes referred to as true hawks, which are famously agile, relatively small hawks common to wooded habitats around the world and also the most diverse of all diurnal raptor genera. As in many birds of prey, the male is smaller than the female. The birds found east of the Mississippi River tend to be larger on average than the birds found to the west. It is easily confused with the smaller but similar Sharp-shinned hawk.