Cooper’s hawks and crows are both common birds found throughout much of North America. Cooper’s hawks are agile predators that specialize in catching small to medium-sized birds, while crows are intelligent, socially complex birds that sometimes fall prey to raptors like Cooper’s hawks. Many people observe Cooper’s hawks hunting in their neighborhoods and wonder if these hawk species actively prey on American crows.
Overview of Cooper’s Hawks
The Cooper’s hawk (Accipiter cooperii) is a medium-sized hawk found throughout most of North America. Here are some key facts about these predatory birds:
- Length ranges from 14-20 inches with a wingspan of 24-35 inches
- Adult males average just under 1 pound in weight while females average 1.1 pounds
- Colored grayish-blue on top with reddish barring on the underside
- Fit, aerodynamic bodies adapted for fast maneuvering flight through dense vegetation
- Specializes in ambush hunting of small to mid-sized birds
Cooper’s hawks are sometimes described as a woodland version of the widespread sharp-shinned hawk. Both Accipiter species have similar shape and plumage adapted for stealthily moving through forest and woodland to capture bird prey.
During the breeding season, Cooper’s hawks aggressively defend nesting territories from intruders. But in the non-breeding months they are more wide-ranging and make use of urban and suburban habitats when hunting.
Overview of American Crows
The American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) is an abundant, wide-ranging bird found all across North America. Here are some key facts about American crows:
- Length ranges from 15-21 inches with a wingspan around 3 feet
- Weighs between 12-21 ounces on average
- Covered in glossy black feathers over their entire body
- Highly social birds that congregate in large flocks
- Intelligent and adaptable; able to utilize human-altered environments successfully
American crows are generalist feeders that eat a wide variety of foods depending on habitat and seasonal availability. Their diet includes insects, spiders, grains, fruits, seeds, nuts, fish, amphibians, reptiles, eggs, and small mammals. Crows forage both on the ground and in trees and bushes.
Given their size, intelligence, and propensity to mob potential predators, American crows are rarely preyed upon once they reach adulthood. Their main threat comes from great horned owls, red-tailed hawks, and eagles. But young crows are vulnerable to predation by a wider range of raptor species when fledging from the nest.
Hunting Habits of Cooper’s Hawks
Cooper’s hawks are stealthy ambush hunters that use speed and agility to capture avian prey. Here are some key facts about their hunting strategy:
- Perch quietly in dense foliage and watch for prey movement
- When prey spotted, initiate fast direct flight pursuit through vegetation
- Use quick turns and zig-zag maneuvers to overcome evasive prey
- Will crash forcefully right through thick brush and tangles
- Grip prey firmly with sharp talons once contact is made
- Favored prey includes mid-sized songbirds like robins and jays
- Also takes pigeons, doves and small gamebirds regularly
Cooper’s hawks are well-adapted for navigating tangled woodlands and capitalizing on brief moments when prey exposes itself. They show a preference for hunting within forest edges, woodlots, and shrubby areas that provide both cover and abundance of vulnerable bird targets.
Urban and suburban parks, green spaces, and backyard habitats also provide good Cooper’s hawk hunting grounds. Bird feeders in particular offer eased access to concentrated prey.
Do Cooper’s Hawks Eat Crows?
Given that crows are medium-sized birds within the prey range of Cooper’s hawks, it is natural to wonder whether they actively hunt and consume American crows. The clear answer is that yes, crows do sometimes fall victim and get eaten, but they are not a preferred target. Here are some key reasons why:
- Crows are large and strong – at the top end of the Cooper’s hawk size range
- Their black coloration makes them hard to spot against dark backgrounds
- Crows are very vigilant and mob hawks in their vicinity
- Healthy crows stay in the safety of groups which hawks avoid
- Crows nest high up in trees away from where Cooper’s hawks hunt
- Much easier and safer targets for Cooper’s hawks to pursue
So while Cooper’s hawks are certainly capable of ambushing and eating an unwary crow, they have many traits that make them unlikely prey. Crows pose more difficulty and danger to the hawk compared to other food options.
Bird Species | Average Weight | Difficulty as Prey |
---|---|---|
American Robin | 2.7 ounces | Easy |
Blue Jay | 3.2 ounces | Intermediate |
American Crow | 16 ounces | Difficult |
This table compares the relative size and difficulty of American crows compared to two other common prey species for Cooper’s hawks. The much lighter robins pose little challenge, while crows are far larger and more vigilant.
Vulnerable Young Crows Face Greater Risk
While adult American crows are rarely taken, fledgling and juvenile crows face far higher predation rates from raptors like Cooper’s hawks. Once they leave the nest, young crows lack the size, strength, and experience to defend themselves and avoid hawk attacks.
Here are some reasons why young crows are more vulnerable:
- Weigh only around half as much as adults
- Their flight skills are weak and unpracticed
- They beg noisily and betray their location
- Often leave nests before they can fly well
- Adults are busy finding food and less vigilant
- Mobbing groups that deter hawks take time to form
All of these factors make newly-fledged crows prime targets. While Cooper’s hawks show preference for their typical smaller woodland prey, young crows bumbling around on the ground or flapping clumsily between branches present easy pickings.
So during the crow nesting season of spring and summer, Cooper’s hawks can take advantage of this temporary vulnerability. It gives them a window to prey on crows even though adult birds are usually off the menu.
Observations of Cooper’s Hawks Hunting Crows
There are many anecdotal observations that support the conclusion Cooper’s hawks occasionally prey on American crows despite their challenges:
- Trail camera photos document Cooper’s hawks carrying dead crows back to their nests
- Eyewitness accounts of hawks ambushing unwary crows at backyard bird feeders
- Remains of crow feathers and bones found at Cooper’s hawk plucking perches
- Crows seen mobbing circling Cooper’s hawks near their nest sites
These types of observations provide confirmation that Cooper’s hawks do eat crows even if they are not a preferred food source. Ambush attacks or exploiting young, inexperienced crows seem to be their primary strategies.
Trail Camera Evidence
Trail cameras are motion-activated cameras used by hunters and wildlife researchers to document animal activity. They can provide solid documentation of Cooper’s hawks successfully hunting crows:
- Photos show hawks carrying limp crows by the feet back to the nest
- Time stamps on photos match sequence of leaving perch, capturing prey, and returning
- Allows estimates of how often crows are taken relative to other prey items
One trail camera study in Ohio recorded over 12,000 wildlife photos over a year. They documented Cooper’s hawks capturing around 2% crows relative to other prey brought to nests.
Backyard Bird Feeder Ambushes
Another common observation is Cooper’s hawks ambushing crows and other birds attracted to backyard bird feeders. Features that allow hawks to exploit these feeding hotspots include:
- Artificial concentration of birds in one spot
- Birds focused on feeding and less vigilant
- Open environments rather than dense woodlands
- Opportunities for concealed perches to surprise prey
While capable of snatching a crow, feeder-hunting Cooper’s hawks more regularly take mourning doves and common grackles. But they will capitalize when greedy crows drop their guard.
How Crows Avoid Becoming Prey
American crows have many natural defenses that allow them to coexist with predatory raptors like Cooper’s hawks:
- Form large flocking groups that provide security
- Mob hawks aggressively when detected
- Give loud alarm calls when threatened
- Nest high up in trees away from hawk activity
- Their black color provides camouflage
- Very aware of surroundings and cautious
- Juveniles are protected until they learn survival skills
- Healthy adults are large and difficult to handle
These adaptations allow American crows to limit their predation losses to Cooper’s hawks and other raptors. While they do fall prey occasionally, particularly when young, their overall population remains robust across North America.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Cooper’s hawks are capable of preying on American crows and do take them occasionally. However, several factors make crows far from an ideal prey source for these woodland hawks.
Adult crows are large, vigilant, travel in protective mobs, and nest in hard to access locations. Cooper’s hawks prefer much smaller bird species that can be ambushed more easily in vegetative cover. Still, they will opportunistically take young crows when available or make an occasional attempt on adults.
So while not a primary or preferred prey source, Cooper’s hawks are certainly able to eat crows. Their ambush hunting strategy allows them to take crows of the right age or in vulnerable circumstances despite the significant challenges of attacking these large, intelligent birds. But crows have evolved a robust set of defenses that generally protect them, allowing the two species to typically coexist without excessive losses.