Meet my friend, Coop. Okay, that's not his name. Coop is my local Cooper's Hawk.
Coop is a regular around here. He appears to be a juvenile, as the adults have redder eyes, but his are turning. We see him weekly at irregular intervals. And when Coop is in town, the birding goes quiet.
We thought for some time that he might be a Sharp-shinned Hawk. But the Sharpie is typically jay sized, and this bad boy, well, he's bigger than that.
Cooper's Hawks are magnificent birds. They eat medium-sized birds and mammals. That means that the pretty little sparrows and finches around are safe (yeah, right) ... but watch out pigeons! The domestic pigeon, it seems, is one of their favorite treats. A single Cooper's Hawk can wipe out an entire colony of pigeons if left alone. In other parts of the country it is known as the "chicken hawk." You can guess why. Cooper's Hawks capture and kill their prey using their feet. They won't bite their prey like a falcon does, but simply hold it away from their bodies until it stops wriggling. Sometimes the mere impact kills their prey. Some have been known to drown their catch!
These are swift fliers. They catch their prey by surprise, making sudden dashes at high speed. They will chase their target into the trees. Estimates are that nearly a quarter of all Cooper's Hawks have healed from broken bones suffered in these hunting forays. And they are tricky. They will hide behind things or sneak around things to give them the element of surprise. One of the interesting accounts of the Cooper's Hawk hunting skills includes a hawk hunting a quail. The quail was flying as fast as it could, but when it got over a thicket that could give it some cover, it folded its wings to drop into the protective cover. Not to be outdone, the Cooper's Hawk dove under the falling bird, rolled onto its back, and caught the quail as it fell into his claws. Indeed, some have reported that these birds might attack for the mere sport of it.
Cooper's Hawks and Sharp-shinned Hawks are in the acipiter family. There is such competition between them that they cannot tolerate each other. The larger hawks, known as buteos, don't seem to have such a conflict, and Coopers have been known to nest within the hunting range of a buteo without any problems.
Cooper's Hawks are vicious defenders of their nests. When there are young in the nest, they will become quite aggressive, attacking larger, more dangerous birds to ward them off. They use their impressive speed and agility to harass their opponent until they give up and leave. In a local community near us there is a nest that is occupied annually by a pair of these hawks. The nest, unfortunately for the residents, is located in the vicinity of the community mail box. Therefore, at a certain time of the year, for a few weeks, you take your life in your hands when you go to retrieve your mail. Many people have suffered bird strikes from these aggressive parents, willing to take on even humans to protect their young.
Cooper's Hawks are living demonstrations that nature is red of tooth and claw. That doesn't stop me from admiring them ... and their Maker.
3 comments:
I'm partial to our red-tailed hawks. We are within the territory of one and I think it has finally noticed our feeding station. I spend a lot of time out in our sunroom and watch him out in the field behind our house. He stands on top of one of the lights for the baseball diamond and occasionally lifts off for a dive. Today, he seemed to be making swoops for the sheer joy of it, diving and rising over an empty baseball field (with almost no grass, and less prey). Then he made a low pass along the back of our property, below the bushes, and I could see his inquisitive eyes looking toward the feeders. He returned to his perch, then came back, gliding low over the house and the feeding station, through the trees and back to his perch.
I don't know how interested he is in goldfinches, but he certainly made his presence known. The squirrel seemed completely oblivious, however.
I too particularly enjoy the raptors. Red-tailed hawks are impressive to watch.
I'm a bit surprised at your squirrel. This is one of their favorite foods. They will eat just about any small or medium-sized mammal, bird, or reptile, although I suspect your goldfinches are likely not worth the effort.
I know they have territories, but in my neck of the woods their territories are so big that you could be in one and not see the hawk for weeks.
I thought they were territorial...interestingly, we saw five out in the field behind our house the other day.
I love red-tailed hawks. We have so many around here dotting the sides of the highway. Unfortunately, there are quite a few matted feathers stuck to the sides of the highways, too.
I've seen them hunt robins before, and we do have a lot of those. He can have all the starlings he wants, thought.
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