The smaller hawks, such as the sharp-shinned and Cooper's, are the most efficient daytime raptors I know of. They have made a comeback in my lifetime from basically zero, in the '50s through the 90s, to abundance now. I see them everyday on the farm, and driving the roads. They just seem to never miss a quail. I have been sitting in my truck watching wild bobs feeding in the edge of a field and seen a Cooper's hawk come from behind me, fly right over my truck, and nail one of the quail. I see them chasing frantic songbirds through the hedgerows and field edges often. They are not hawks of the open areas, but frequent woods and thickets.
As many red-tails as there are, if they were as efficient as the Cooper's there wouldn't be anything left for any of them to eat. Cooper's are just stone killers........ period.
But............... BrentD says he's seen them miss lots of times.
The smaller hawks, such as the sharp-shinned and Cooper's, are the most efficient daytime raptors I know of. They have made a comeback in my lifetime from basically zero, in the '50s through the 90s, to abundance now. I see them everyday on the farm, and driving the roads. They just seem to never miss a quail. I have been sitting in my truck watching wild bobs feeding in the edge of a field and seen a Cooper's hawk come from behind me, fly right over my truck, and nail one of the quail. I see them chasing frantic songbirds through the hedgerows and field edges often. They are not hawks of the open areas, but frequent woods and thickets.
As many red-tails as there are, if they were as efficient as the Cooper's there wouldn't be anything left for any of them to eat. Cooper's are just stone killers........ period.
But............... BrentD says he's seen them miss lots of times.
SRH
Agree with this also. Cooper and sharp shined are difficult to tell apart like many hawks but both are very common now. Sometimes I don't fill my feeders because it just becomes a Cooper and sharp shined feeder.
It sure seems to me that they seldom miss from what I have observed. Couple of years ago was filling the feeders on the deck and a sharp shinned tried to pick off a meal with me standing there. Think because I was standing there he got confused and did miss. He did however hit the sliding glass door instead, he hit it so hard thought he broke it at first. Broke his neck instead.
As mentioned earlier it is a Federal offense to kill or even be in possession of a dead hawk, owl or eagle in the US. So I called the DNR and asked what should I do with it and they said just throw it in the trash.
The B-2 Stealth Bomber of raptors is the Golden Eagle. They are used to hunt wolves in the 'Stans in Asia.
Gil, Not even close. The Harpy eagle females run 20-27 pounds, with short, highly loaded wings for hunting in jungle conditions. Falconry people have used the birds for sport, but, there is a real danger of domestic livestock and children falling prey to them.
It might be a good thing the Haast's Eagle is extinct. The princple prey were flightless Moas, also extinct, that ran around 500 pounds. The female Haast's would have run 31 to 36 pounds.
Some years ago (like 60) my parents attended an outdoor wedding reception. The bridesmaids were making over a small cottontail rabbit that had wandered close to the party. Out of nowhere a hawk swooped in and made that rabbit his lunch. Tore it all to pieces in front of the bridal party. Talk about the turd in the punch bowl! As the man said, the state of nature is nasty, brutish,and short.
I once watched a Cooper's hawk kill and eat a redbird (Cardinal) in my neighbors yard.
I've also seen a Swallow-tailed Kite pair chase a songbird all through my yard. They never got him. JR
Swallow Tail Kite.....being from Winnipeg one wouldn't expect to see one of those but about 8 years ago I was at my father's 4th floor (top floor) condo, overlooking a golf course. Was kind used to Canada's cutting the corner and flying by at eye level about 10 feet from the balcony. But this day I looked out and thought "what the hell is that???" Apparently a directionally confused swallow tail kite, about 1500 miles north of his northern range.
The world cries out for such: he is needed & needed badly- the man who can carry a message to Garcia
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