A Cooper’s Hawk in New Jersey Utilizes Urban Hunting Strategy
A fascinating discovery has been made in the bustling city of West Orange, New Jersey, where a young Cooper’s hawk has been observed using a clever urban hunting technique. Zoologist Vladimir Dinets first encountered this remarkable bird one crisp morning while waiting at a traffic light with his daughter. The hawk, identified as a Cooper’s hawk (Astur cooperii), was strategically utilizing the sounds of traffic signals to its advantage, using cars for cover before swooping in on unsuspecting prey.
Through repeated observations, Dinets was able to decipher the hawk’s tactics. The bird would wait for the sound of the pedestrian crossing signal before making its move, taking advantage of the distraction to launch a surprise attack on nearby birds attracted to leftovers in a family’s front yard.
While birds of prey are not uncommon in urban settings, this particular hawk seemed to be a newcomer to the city. Typically, hawks migrate to urban areas during the winter in search of food, coming from forested regions where they breed and nest.
The Cooper’s hawk’s natural hunting abilities make it a formidable predator, using its agility and stealth to catch prey in wooded areas. However, in the urban landscape, the hawk demonstrated a remarkable adaptation of its hunting strategy, utilizing the ebb and flow of car traffic to its advantage.
Dinets observed the hawk’s behavior over multiple visits, noting how it timed its attacks with the pedestrian crossing signal to ensure optimal cover from passing cars. This strategic use of environmental cues allowed the hawk to execute precise and successful hunting maneuvers.
Despite the challenges of navigating a city environment, the Cooper’s hawk displayed exceptional cognitive abilities, demonstrating an understanding of prey behavior and the ability to plan ahead for successful hunts. Dinets’ observations shed light on the intelligence and adaptability of these urban-dwelling raptors.
Through his research, Dinets highlights the remarkable abilities of urban-dwelling Cooper’s hawks, showcasing their survival and thriving in challenging city environments. The study, published in Frontiers in Ethology, provides valuable insights into the intelligence and adaptability of these majestic birds of prey.
