A Cooper's hawk spotted a pair of shorebirds on the beach and launched itself after them.
He captured one and held on with a death grip.
Ultimately it flew off with his meal.
Rondeau Bay, south beach.
Accipiter cooperii
A Cooper's Hawk captures a bird with its feet and kills it by repeated squeezing. Falcons tend to kill their prey by biting it, but Cooper’s Hawks hold their catch away from the body until it dies. They’ve even been known to drown their prey, holding a bird underwater until it stopped moving.
Cornell Lab of Ornithology - www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Coopers_Hawk/lifehistory
He captured one and held on with a death grip.
Ultimately it flew off with his meal.
Rondeau Bay, south beach.
Accipiter cooperii
A Cooper's Hawk captures a bird with its feet and kills it by repeated squeezing. Falcons tend to kill their prey by biting it, but Cooper’s Hawks hold their catch away from the body until it dies. They’ve even been known to drown their prey, holding a bird underwater until it stopped moving.
Cornell Lab of Ornithology - www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Coopers_Hawk/lifehistory
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