FreeLists / tn-bird / [TN-Bird] feather question

["Carole Gobert" <cpgobert@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I could use some help identifying a bird from a pile of feathers.  Saturday 
a large scattering of black and white feathers appeared in and around the 
small thicket behind my house.  A Cooper's hawk has been hanging out there. 
In fact, when I walked into the thicket to examine the feathers yesterday, I 
surprised the hawk (actually, we surprised each other) and it flew away. 
Some of the smaller feathers are pure white and the larger ones are gray 
along the shaft and then black with large white spots.  Do red bellied 
woodpeckers have spotted feathers?

I have been finding these feathers in my yard for a couple years... one at a 
time, and I always thought they belonged to the helmeted guinea fowls that 
are kept by someone up the street and allowed to roam free.  My back yard 
feeders and bird bath are a favorite place for these fowl to visit.  But 
upon finding so many of them and suspecting a Cooper's hawk, I wonder could 
a Cooper's hawk really take down a guinea fowl which is quite a large bird?

If the feathers belong to a woodpecker, wouldn't at least some of them be 
striped?

Of course, I'm hoping it was a guinea fowl.  There have been 5 of them 
lately and I will count them the next time I see them.  I haven't seen them 
since finding the feathers, but then I wasn't home much this weekend.

I'd appreciate any help you can offer on this.  Thanks.

Carole Gobert
Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee


=================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================

The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with
first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation.
-----------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------
To post to this mailing list, simply send email to:
tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
----------------------------------------------------- 
To unsubscribe, send email to:
tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

  TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society 
       Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s)
        endorse the views or opinions expressed
        by the members of this discussion group.
 
         Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
                 wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
     Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society
          web site at http://www.tnbirds.org
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    ========================================================