These birds capture
prey from cover or while flying quickly through dense vegetation, relying almost totally on surprise. One study showed that this is a quite dangerous hunting style. More than 300 Cooper's hawk skeletons were investigated and 23% revealed healed fractures in the bones of the chest.[SUP]
[3][/SUP]
Cooper's hawks prey almost exclusively on small to mid-sized birds. Typical prey species include
American robins, other
thrushes,
jays,
woodpeckers,
European starlings,
quail,
icterids,
cuckoos,
pigeons and
doves. Birds preyed on can range in size from
wood-warblers to
ring-necked pheasants. They may also prey upon the raptor
American kestrel and other smaller raptors, including their cousin the
sharp-shinned hawk.[SUP]
[12][/SUP] They have been known to rob nests and may supplement their diet with small
mammals such as
chipmunks,
hares,
mice,
squirrels, and
bats.[SUP]
[3][/SUP] Even more rarely, they may prey on
lizards,
frogs, or
snakes. It normally catches its prey with its feet and kills it by repeatedly squeezing it and holding it away from its body until it dies. They have also been seen drowning their prey, holding it underwater until it stops moving.[SUP]
[3][/SUP] The hawks often pluck the
feathers off their prey on a post or other perch. They also hunt
songbirds at backyard feeders, perching nearby then swooping down and scattering the birds to single one out in flight. They may pursue prey on the ground by half running and half flying.[SUP]
[5][/SUP]
