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Very sad...predator bird

rockybird

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I woke up yesterday to a large (red tailed?) hawk sitting on my fence above a dead predator bird. It had obviously hit the glass fence and died immediately. The living hawk looked much bigger. Are these two the same species or did the larger hawk possibly chase the smaller one into the fence. I am pretty sure he does this with the smaller birds. You can see all the blue painters tape I put up to try to prevent this from happening.

I put the dead bird off on the side of the yard. I woke up this AM to find it gone. A single feather was on my patio and a few feathers were farther away in an (empty) dog bowl that I fill with water everyday for the wild birds. Does anyone know what would do this? Would a racoon try to wash it in the bowl? I have also been finding coyote scat on my patio, right where the lone feather was.








Thanks for any help figuring this out!
 

SandraK

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Birdbabe

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That does look like a little Cooper, could've been a racoon,,,,possibly an owl but they prefer live food..coyote, yes, neighborhood cat? Possibly..RIP little hawk,,,unfortunately its nature and the circle of life.
 

rockybird

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Thanks guys! That is a big help! I think the red tailed hawk is herding the birds into the glass and killing them. He wanted that Cooper's hawk but he got scared when he saw me through the window. I am guessing coyote or racoon, or both, got the hawk.
 

Monica

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Honestly? Both look like coopers, and the larger one was *probably* a female. (females tend to be larger than males in birds of prey)


If there was a much larger gap in size, then maybe the smaller bird was a sharp shinned hawk?




If same species, I wonder if the male(?) died due to a courtship display gone wrong? (not sure this is even possible)



If separate species, then the coopers was probably being territorial (has a nest nearby?) and chased the smaller hawk into the fence?
 

Greycloud

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The one on the fence is a Coopers' hawk. The smaller is a juvie sharp shin hawk, i believe.
 

melissasparrots

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I agree with Monica that both are coopers. It just does not look like a red tail through the body, no belly band and that is almost certainly has an accipiter tail. The one on the wall looks like a good sized mature female coops. The dead one looks like a passage(immature) coopers or possibly sharpshin. Hawks can be nasty to their own kind, however its also possible that this was a young bird from the pair that were dispersing from their parents. This is kind of the sink or swim time of year for young birds where they are no longer being fed by parents and sometimes not able to catch enough to feed themselves. I'd wonder if the dead bird's keel was particularly sharp in which case it may not have been killed by the adult but rather died of natural causes and the other bird was just checking it out as a potential meal or curiosity. Despite your painters tape, accipiters are particularly prone to collision injuries. When prey is in sight, all they want is to kill it and little things like painter's tape might not be noticed.
 

rockybird

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Thanks guys! The big hawk was definitely interested in the dead one. She kept coming back to perch near it. I dont know if it is because it was her baby or because it was another species and she wanted to eat it. When the hawks have flown birds into the glass before, they will be very bold in retrieving the body, even with me nearby.
 

LaSelva

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Maybe it's a bonded mate - it's not unusual for birds of many species (corvids, parrots) to remain near their fallen mate for a while, but "nature and the circle of life?" I'm not so sure.... invisible walls don't exist in nature. Quite frankly I don't know of a human that hasn't walked into a glass sliding door at one time or another.

The painters tape may not have been enough to deter an accipiter. These birds hunt in woodland areas and are used to maneuvering through spaces. Considering that their typical prey in that habitat, a sparrow-sized junco for example, tends to appear and quickly disappear (darting in and out of shrubs, leaves, or rotting logs, etc.) they don't waste time when it comes to chasing a meal. In contrast a red-tailed hawk, that tends to hunt in open space, can afford to spend more time watching prey before deciding it's the right time to pursue. These characteristics are reflected in their personalities when it comes to training as well. In terms of short versus long attention span, whether calmer or more erratic demeanor, as well as retention of training. As Monica pointed out, females tend to be bigger than males which would account for the larger size of the remaining bird if they are the same species. This size difference is attributed to the idea that together they can exploit a broader range of food source (within their territory) without competing with each other.
 
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melissasparrots

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I'm pretty confident that it wasn't a mate. The dead bird was this year's hatch. There have been documented cases of birds in immature plumage going to nest. But, that would be a possibility 6 months from now right before the molt into mature plumage. This isn't the mating season and if anything offspring will be dispersing. Sometimes forcefully so. Which may very well be a contributing factor to what happened here. This isn't the breeding season where a young bird would be thinking about pairing up. If anything it would be thinking about migrating.
 

LaSelva

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offspring will be dispersing. Sometimes forcefully so
As a falconer I'll take this at your word but have to state that this is something that is absent from any link or information I've ever read on Cooper's hawks and breeding. Most state that once the juveniles can hunt they leave on their own, occasionally visiting the nest to roost, etc. Or that they migrate in autumn before the adults do, etc. Various sources go into more or less detail, and leave it there. Along the lines of....

"The chicks learn to fly after a few weeks and will leave the nest but remain with their parents. The parents will continue to feed and protect the fledgling chicks until they learn how to feed themselves and survive on their own."

As far as being forced out of the territory by a parent with such fervor, that I haven't heard. But I don't doubt it's possible. I've only rarely observed these hawks singly in the wild, social behavior, not at all. Would like a link if you have one.

The fact that the larger bird was visiting and perching over the body of the smaller one is what piqued my curiosity more so than which noctournal scavanger might have taken the body. I had recently seen this behavior with a pair of common grackles. There was a deceased female on the road, likely hit by a car, and the male was by her side. Whenever a car passed he flew out of the way and onto a street sign. Then back down to her. I actually considered moving the body off the road so that he wouldn't get hit. I guess without more backstory it'll remain a mystery. But another consideration, if they were parent and offspring, is it possible that they were cooperatively hunting. Where juveniles will chase prey and due to their inexperience the parent will come in and make the kill.
 
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rockybird

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I just cant help but wonder if it was a parent and baby hawk? I have had the hawk's herd birds into the glass to kill them. When they see me, they fly off, but they always come back to get their prey, even if I am still standing a few feet away. This hawk flew away when she saw me, then came back to perch near the body, but took off for good after she saw me a second time. There are a LOT of hawks in my neighborhood. I feel really bad about this dead bird, especially if it was a juvenile. :( I am sure it takes a lot of work to raise a baby hawk.

I left the body there all day hoping she would retrieve it, but she did not. I have had female quail hit the glass a couple times and die. The males cry and guard their bodies. It is heartbreaking to see.

I'm trying to do everything I can to stop birds from hitting the glass. The fence hasnt been much of a problem since I put the tape up (until now). I have even had ribbons and balloons out there. I do regret putting the fence in now.
 

lamagdalena

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I just cant help but wonder if it was a parent and baby hawk? I have had the hawk's herd birds into the glass to kill them. When they see me, they fly off, but they always come back to get their prey, even if I am still standing a few feet away. This hawk flew away when she saw me, then came back to perch near the body, but took off for good after she saw me a second time. There are a LOT of hawks in my neighborhood. I feel really bad about this dead bird, especially if it was a juvenile. :( I am sure it takes a lot of work to raise a baby hawk.

I left the body there all day hoping she would retrieve it, but she did not. I have had female quail hit the glass a couple times and die. The males cry and guard their bodies. It is heartbreaking to see.

I'm trying to do everything I can to stop birds from hitting the glass. The fence hasnt been much of a problem since I put the tape up (until now). I have even had ribbons and balloons out there. I do regret putting the fence in now.

try here : WindowAlert

They have one specifically for hawks too
 

rockybird

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Thanks @lamagdalena ! I have these on my windows but they dont seem to work. I wonder if there is too much shade on the house windows, but might work better on the fence. I will give it a try. Thanks!
 
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