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Coopers imitating harriers
- To: carolinabirds@duke.edu
- Subject: Coopers imitating harriers
- From: "R. O. Bierregaard, Jr." <rbierreg@email.uncc.edu>
- Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2001 15:51:51 -0400
- Sender: carolinabirds-owner@acpub.duke.edu
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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