Titre du document / Document title

Hunting behavior and diet of Cooper's Hawks: An urban view of the small-bird-in-winter paradigm

Auteur(s) / Author(s)

ROTH Timothy C. ⁽¹⁾ ; LIMA Steven L. ⁽¹⁾ ;

Affiliation(s) du ou des auteurs / Author(s) Affiliation(s)

⁽¹⁾ Department of Life Sciences, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 47809, ETATS-UNIS

Résumé / Abstract

We examined the predatory behavior of wintering urban Cooper's Hawks (Accipiter cooperii). Eight Cooper's Hawks (7 female, 1 male) were radio-tracked intensively during two winter periods from 1999-2001. We observed 179 attacks, 35 of which were successful, for an overall attack success rate of 20%. We recorded an additional 44 kills resulting from unobserved attacks. European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris), Mourning Doves (Zenaida macroura), and Rock Doves (Columba livia) made up 95% of the prey attacked and 91% of the diet. Smaller birds (<70 g), such as House Sparrows (Passer domesticus), were numerous in the study area but were rarely attacked. Mammals were not included in the diet. Surprise attacks (initiated at close range, often from behind an obstruction), were more successful than open attacks, although the latter were more frequent. In addition, attacks on single individuals were significantly more successful than those on flocks. Nonetheless, many attacks were attempted on large flocks. Our results suggest that the smaller bird species (<70 g) in our urban study area were at low risk of predation from Cooper's Hawks.

Revue / Journal Title

The condor   ISSN 0010-5422   CODEN CNDRAB 

Source / Source

2003, vol. 105, n^o3, pp. 474-483 [10 page(s) (article)] (1 p.1/4)

Langue / Language

Anglais

Editeur / Publisher

Cooper Ornithological Club, Santa Clara, CA, ETATS-UNIS  (1900) (Revue)

Mots-clés anglais / English Keywords

Vertebrata ; Feeding ; Feeding behavior ; Raptor ; America ; North America ; United States ; Aves ; Indiana ; Prey selection ; Overwintering ; Predator prey relation ; Predation ; Urban area ; Diet ; Predatory behavior ;

Mots-clés français / French Keywords

Accipitridae ; Vertebrata ; Alimentation ; Comportement alimentaire ; Rapace ; Amérique ; Amérique du Nord ; Etats Unis ; Accipiter cooperii ; Aves ; Indiana ; Choix proie ; Hivernage ; Relation prédateur proie ; Prédation ; Zone urbaine ; Régime alimentaire ; Comportement prédateur ;

Mots-clés espagnols / Spanish Keywords

Vertebrata ; Alimentación ; Conducta alimenticia ; Rapaz ; America ; America del norte ; Estados Unidos ; Aves ; Indiana ; Selección presa ; Invernada ; Relación depredador presa ; Rapiña ; Zona urbana ; Régimen alimentario ; Conducta depredador ;

Mots-clés d'auteur / Author Keywords

Accipiter ; hawks ; hunting behavior ; predator-prey interactions ; safety in groups ; urban environment ; wintering birds ;

Localisation / Location

INIST-CNRS, Cote INIST : 4858, 35400011270379.0070