| |
Cooper’s
HawkCourtesy
of Houston's Wildlife Rehab and Education |
Three
juvenile Cooper’s Hawks were released Saturday October 25, 2009. Two had been
rehabilitated from head injuries and the third from a wing injury. The Cooper’s
Hawk, Accipiter cooperii, is a medium sized hawk of the goshawk family.
Often
misidentified as a Sharp-shinned Hawk, the Cooper’s Hawk is slightly larger (21
to 36 inch wingspan) and has a tail that is rounded in appearance. Juveniles start
as cream and brown with a brown crown and yellow eyes. As they mature, Cooper’s
Hawk develop the characteristic gray back, reddish brown and cream banded chest,
black crown and deep red eyes. |
Cooper’s
Hawk
Photo courtesy Wildlife Rehab & Education |
While
Cooper’s Hawks share a diet that is similar to other raptors, they tend to prey
on other birds such as pigeon and dove. Their wings are designed for dramatic
aerobatics and can be seen flying with quick short strokes with relatively brief
glides. They hunt almost entirely by surprise.
Until recently, the rehabilitators
of WR&E rarely saw baby or juvenile Cooper’s Hawks. Instead, they only saw adults
injured during migration. It has been noted that as the increase in the number
of White Wing Dove (a larger dove than the more common Mourning Dove) have coincided
with the increase in baby and juvenile Cooper’s Hawks. This suggests that as prey
has increased in the Greater Houston area, the Cooper’s Hawks have followed.
Copyright
Wildlife Rehab & Education
website: www.wrande.org
More
Texas Birds |
|
|
