FreeLists / birdky / [birdky] RPT-Cooper's Hawk Behavior

["Gerald Robe" <ghrobe@xxxxxxxxx>]

A while back I posted that I had seen an Accipiter sp. dive into the top of a 
cedar tree, then climb down to the bottom in pursuit of prey. I think I've got 
that one topped today.

I stepped out onto my back porch, and I saw a Cooper's Hawk flying low across 
my yard next to the row of brush on the edge of my property. I grabbed my 
binoculars to get a good look at it. The hawk landed on the ground, then walked 
about 3 feet. Suddenly, it jumped into the hedgerow without using its wings and 
there was an explosion of House Sparrows flying out of the brush. The hawk 
emerged a few seconds later clutching a struggling sparrow in one of its 
talons. 

For several minutes, the hawk seemed to be playing "cat-and-mouse" with its 
prey. It would let the sparrow go, and then pounce on it after it had gotten a 
foot or so away. The sparrow twice managed to get all the way back into the 
hedge, but then the hawk would jump in, catch it and drag it back out. Even 
after the sparrow had died, the hawk continued to play with it, tossing the 
sparrow with its beak and then pouncing on it. After some time, the hawk 
finally settled down and started plucking feathers from its prey before it 
started to eat. 

I usually think of raptors catching their prey by stooping from the air. It was 
really a surprise to see one hunting on foot!

Gerald H. Robe
Mt. Sterling, KY
ghrobe@xxxxxxxxx