What kind of bird is this?

[mickey]

Greetings,

This bird looks like a refined pidgeon. Regal standing tall at about 18 inches, it is shaped like a champagne bottle. It is a light greyish blue and its tail is a dark blue. The strange thing about this bird is that it is predatory. I saw it snatch a sparrow in mid flight (the sparrow was about to land on a branch) with an alarming caw. I was totally shocked. This was in NYC.

Has anyone seen this species of bird before? It did not look predatory at all.

mickey

[kfson]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVVQLRzLd2k
???

[Drake]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuaOXVsyXE8

??

[mickey]

Greetings,

Neither of those. I did see the red tailed hawk a couple of years ago. It was a beautiful sight. The bird I saw, at first glance, would never be considered predatory. It looked like a large pidgeon.

mickey

[David Jamieson]

a picture would be helpful, or you could wikipedia search for carnivorous birds

[mickey]

Hi,

I will do a search.

mickey

[Lucas]

did it look like?

http://beehivehairdresser.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/hawk-0.jpg

[Lucas]

same species here different bird. they are Coopers Hawks. if its one...

'These birds come thru when food diminishes up north and find New York City habitats (like lots) very enticing with pigeons and residents birds towards their liking. Cooper’s Hawks are accipiters, those birds that chase prey birds.Good birding'



http://www.bio.davidson.edu/people/vecase/behavior/Spring2007/Rittenberg/Assests/cooperhawk.jpg

[Lee Chiang Po]

Yes, it was likely a Cooper's hawk or a Sharp shinned hawk. The Sharpshinned hawk is a true sparrow hawk, but both will feed on small birds. As a falconer I have had both species, and they are indeed predatory. They are migratory in fall and return in the spring, following their food sources both north and south.

[kfson]

Related info:

There is one of these birds nesting on the roof of my office building, plenty of ducks around:

http://crazyman.ca/images/as%20of%20may%20first/GOLDEN%20EAGLE.jpg

It stands a couple feet tall with a huge wing span. It buzzed me out in the parking lot 2 weeks ago.

[mickey]

Greetings,

Thank you all for your assistance.

What was different about this bird is that it did not appear to have the characteristic hooked beak that is used to gut its prey. It looked, as I said before, like a large, regal pidgeon. I have been looking to the sky to see this type of bird again. No luck.

I will be using the photos you guys provided as guidance. Maybe I missed something in my initial observation; after all, I was shocked by the spectacle.

Thanking you all again,

mickey

[Taryn P.]

http://crazyman.ca/images/as%20of%20may%20first/GOLDEN%20EAGLE.jpg
.

Holy crap, look at that. That monster just about ripped my tail off. :mad:

[Lucas]

ya that fox looks pretty darn suprised. seems like it was in the middle of picking those ribs clean when that raptor dive bombed it.

[Taryn P.]

Geez, just tryin' to snack on a little carrion here, minding my own business.....
Notice also my little fair-weather friend at stage right. And here I thought he had my back.

[Lucas]

ya i noticed he dipped pretty quick there lol

[Xiao3 Meng4]

Look into Kestrels and Peregrine falcons, they are also potential candidates for your bird.

[mickey]

Gosh I'm pumped,

It is the Northern Goshawk. Check it out. As you can see it is a very innocent looking bird. Much like a pidgeon:

http://www.centralnewyorker.com/HousenYard/Goshawk/Goshawkindx.htm


mickey

[Lucas]

hey nice find mickey, congrats. thats definately a very un assuming bird. sneaky little bugger!

thats a nice looking bird too, i pulled up a bunch of google images.

[mickey]

Greetings,

I am so glad that I was able to identify the bird. I thought I was starting to lose it because the way the bird looks is entirely contradictory to the way it behaves.

It was kind of like watching a Mother Theresa type suddenly go psycho on the Pope.

Thank you all, one more time, for your assistance.

mickey

[Lee Chiang Po]

Gosh I'm pumped,

It is the Northern Goshawk. Check it out. As you can see it is a very innocent looking bird. Much like a pidgeon:

http://www.centralnewyorker.com/HousenYard/Goshawk/Goshawkindx.htm


mickey


Don't want to burst your bubble here, but that bird in the link is not a northern goshawk, but an adult female Cooper's hawk. They are as different as day and night. The rufous color on the legs will be the same as the checks on the birds breast. The goshawk will be black and white and grey, no rufous. It is a misidentification by the people doing the video. Believe me, I have handled both species for more than 50 years now.