The best source of monitoring data for Cooper's Hawk in Canada comes from the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS), despite low detection rates and some possibility for confusion between Cooper's and Sharp-shinned Hawk, a similar and much more widespread species. For these reasons, the assessment of this species' population status is considered to be of medium reliability. Still, BBS results suggest that the Canadian population has increased by about 61% since about 1970, with a particularly marked increase in the Lower Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Plain Bird Conservation Region (BCR; results for all BCRs with reasonably reliable results are displayed below). BBS results for North America indicate that the continental population has shown a large increase. Because the Cooper's Hawk was persecuted and affected by DDT (Farmer et al. 2008), resulting in low levels of abundance at the start of monitoring efforts, and its historical abundance remains unknown, a specific management goal relative to 1970 has not yet been set. However, with an increasing population trend, the Cooper's Hawk's current population is considered to be at an acceptable level relative to its national population goal (see Canada graph below).
Additional information on: Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) - Canadian analysis