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How a hawk learned to use traffic signals to hunt more successfully

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Re: How a hawk learned to use traffic signals to hunt more successfully

#21

Post by hshdhdhj4444 »

lloeki wrote: post #13

> Cooper’s hawk is on a rather short list of bird of prey species that have successfully adapted to life in cities. A city is a difficult and very dangerous habitat for any bird, but particularly for a large raptor specializing in live prey: you have to avoid windows, cars, utility wires, and countless other dangers while catching something to eat every day. Peregrine falcons adapted quite well, and they're much more…

You have the story of Flacco the owl who lasted 1 year in Manhattan after having spent his entire life in captivity.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flaco_(owl)

Even his death (due to a collision with a building) was likely less because of his ability to survive, since he managed to learn all the skills necessary, and more due to the fact that his primary food source, rats in and around the city, were laden with rat poison.

We have consistently and regularly underestimated non human animals cognitive abilities which is frankly strange if you understand evolution since it would be strange for only humans to have a certain evolutionary feature such as intelligence and every other species to not have it at all.

Re: How a hawk learned to use traffic signals to hunt more successfully

#22

Post by skipkey »

lloeki wrote: post #13

> Cooper’s hawk is on a rather short list of bird of prey species that have successfully adapted to life in cities. A city is a difficult and very dangerous habitat for any bird, but particularly for a large raptor specializing in live prey: you have to avoid windows, cars, utility wires, and countless other dangers while catching something to eat every day. Peregrine falcons adapted quite well, and they're much more…

In my neighborhood in the East Valley in Phoenix, I’ve seen Cooper’s hawks, kestrels, peregrine falcons, zone tailed hawks, merlins, and one immature bald eagle. Along with the numerous turkey vultures and the occasional black vulture.

Re: How a hawk learned to use traffic signals to hunt more successfully

#23

Post by pdabbadabba »

lloeki wrote: post #13

> Cooper’s hawk is on a rather short list of bird of prey species that have successfully adapted to life in cities. A city is a difficult and very dangerous habitat for any bird, but particularly for a large raptor specializing in live prey: you have to avoid windows, cars, utility wires, and countless other dangers while catching something to eat every day. Peregrine falcons adapted quite well, and they're much more…

> Peregrine falcons adapted quite well, and they're much more sizeable.

I'm not sure what you mean. As far as I am aware -- and according to every source I've looked at in the last few minutes -- Peregrine falcons and Cooper's hawks are about the same size (length and wingspan are within 1-2 inches).

Re: How a hawk learned to use traffic signals to hunt more successfully

#25

Post by throwanem »

pdabbadabba wrote: post #23
lloeki wrote: post #13

> Cooper’s hawk is on a rather short list of bird of prey species that have successfully adapted to life in cities. A city is a difficult and very dangerous habitat for any bird, but particularly for a large raptor specializing in live prey: you have to avoid windows, cars, utility wires, and countless other dangers while catching something to eat every day. Peregrine falcons adapted quite well, and they're much more…

> Peregrine falcons adapted quite well, and they're much more sizeable. I'm not sure what you mean. As far as I am aware -- and according to every source I've looked at in the last few minutes -- Peregrine falcons and Cooper's hawks are about the same size (length and wingspan are within 1-2 inches).

Peregrines are somewhat smaller and much more lightly built. I live in a nesting pair's territory which often sees transitory Cooper's; they're easy to distinguish both in flight and at rest. Male Cooper's are more peregrine-sized and hard to tell from sharp-shinned hawks sometimes, but that is an ordinary enough sexual dimorphism in birds.

Interestingly, while peregrines and accipiters like Cooper's share a habit of taking passerines in flight, the response of potential prey seems to differ. I frequently see songbirds mob a Cooper's; I can't think offhand of a time I've seen them respond to a peregrine other than by crypsis.

Re: How a hawk learned to use traffic signals to hunt more successfully

#26

Post by Modified3019 »

Etheryte wrote: post #15
lloeki wrote: post #13

> Cooper’s hawk is on a rather short list of bird of prey species that have successfully adapted to life in cities. A city is a difficult and very dangerous habitat for any bird, but particularly for a large raptor specializing in live prey: you have to avoid windows, cars, utility wires, and countless other dangers while catching something to eat every day. Peregrine falcons adapted quite well, and they're much more…

Plus pigeons are not exactly known for being incredibly smart or agile, so if you're big enough to take one down, you probably won't struggle too much for food.

Pigeons are actually known for being very agile, and are able to do vertical takeoffs and evasive maneuvers like a backflip loop immediately after takeoff, which is precisely to evade predators like falcons.

City pigeons just tend to become fat, lazy and used to suppressing their flee response around traffic and people.

Re: How a hawk learned to use traffic signals to hunt more successfully

#27

Post by throwanem »

hoseja wrote: post #10
sodokuwizard wrote: post #9

If true, then this hawk has more pattern recognition than many humans I've encountered over the years.

If you have nothing else to do and your lunch depends on it, many patterns can be gleaned even by birdbrains.

The voice of experience.

Re: How a hawk learned to use traffic signals to hunt more successfully

#28

Post by hackeraccount »

lloeki wrote: post #13

> Cooper’s hawk is on a rather short list of bird of prey species that have successfully adapted to life in cities. A city is a difficult and very dangerous habitat for any bird, but particularly for a large raptor specializing in live prey: you have to avoid windows, cars, utility wires, and countless other dangers while catching something to eat every day. Peregrine falcons adapted quite well, and they're much more…

There are Peregrine falcons in my city. I remember walking downtown one time and seeing one on the sidewalk with a pigeon in its talons. All the commuters and I just walked around it. Really weird somehow.

Re: How a hawk learned to use traffic signals to hunt more successfully

#29

Post by nosmokewhereiam »

Japanese crow-dactles would put candy in wrappers into crosswalks and let cars run over them. They may have used the sounds of the crosswalk. I have no sources, just anecdotal.

They were big birds. Intimidating wingspans, if hit by cars on their highways: they damaged cars, etc.

Re: How a hawk learned to use traffic signals to hunt more successfully

#30

Post by throwanem »

krisoft wrote: post #6

I have a similar story. I was taxiing a Cessna 152 at LHBS. It is a big grassy field. On that day there were a large flock of black birds sitting on the grass. I made the usual radio call to announce that I'm leaving the runway and taxiing to the tie-downs when the birds flitted away just between my airplane's nose and my destination. The birds outside of that "road" by roughly a wingspan distance remained on the gro…

I see pigeons and sparrows dodge cars by inches, too. For that matter I do the same myself! Sparrows hawk insects out of the air, and I believe starlings also. Predicting motion would need to be second nature, I think. Like skillfully catching a ball, but much more so and between your teeth...
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