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Coopers imitating harriers



Once again, the Cooper's Hawks are doing an interesting display that 
makes them look most un-Cooper's Hawkish. An eminent local student of 
birds (who will remain nameless) was fooled into thinking he had seen 
Harriers upon looking up and seeing a pair of birds in very slow, 
floppy flight--they look almost like big moths or butterflies (this 
is how it's described in Bent's Life History account for 
Coopers)--with white rump patches. The white rump patch is actually 
the undertail coverts which are flared out so far as to sort of wrap 
around the base of the tail and makes it look like a white rump patch.

Keep your eyes open for this display, which may or may not be 
associated with nesting territories. It probably is, but has been 
seen from birds on migration. But then we hear birds on migration 
giving their territorial song, so this really wouldn't be that 
different.

Rob Bierregaard
-- 

Rob Bierregaard

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