Cooper's Hawk

For Throwback Thursday here's a Cooper's Hawk from July of 2019. The hawk was trying to enjoy breakfast (which almost certainly consisted of one of our songbirds) when my camera and I interrupted it.

My recollection is that this was the season when I had a pair of Cooper's Hawks nesting near my apartment complex [1].

Cooper's Hawks were called "chicken hawks" in the past, but they only weigh about a pound and are probably too small to tackle adult chickens. Chicks are probably a different story.

Cooper's Hawks are somewhat unpopular with people maintaining bird feeders since they (and their smaller Sharp-shinned Hawk cousins) specialize in preying on small birds. I've heard though that these hawks aren't especially successful hunting around bird feeders though since the bird feeders have so many birds looking out for predators. (Foraging alone is probably more dangerous for passerines, doves/pigeons, and woodpeckers, which is why you frequently see birds foraging together. A bird feeder usually has a lot of birds alert for danger.)

July 19, 2019 at Mt Pleasant Villas
Photo 45803744, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

[1] Unfortunately their tree was taken down when 2 houses were built in the vicinity. If they're still nesting in the area they needed to move to a tree I don't have access to.


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