Coopers Hawk Hunting Grey Squirrel

A juvenile Coopers hawk tries to capture squirrels with no success.
Every now and then a parent bird would fly in with food, usually a song bird. Coopers hawks are forest hunters. They are evolved to fly through the woods chasing prey and their choice fo food is song birds. Once endangered these hawks have made a comeback thanks to us. Our urban renewal efforts led us to plant trees and Coopers hawks like trees. And we like to feed birds. Combine the two and you create the perfect habitat for these hawks. There is virtually no area of Mississauga where I have not encountered a Coopers hawk.
Squirrels are on the menu but not for the birds in this video. They are too inept at hunting but they are developing the skills. Skills that will one day allow them to succeed where so often they have failed.

[@RobinASmith138]

I enjoyed seeing 3 juvenile Cooper's hawks making their very first hunting attempts on squirrels last year. It is neat to see them learn to hunt. Great footage

[@thomasvelazquez9789]

Young hawk

[@lyledahlberg288]

Great footage. I really enjoyed that. Thank you

[@thomasvelazquez9789]

Rookie get up in medium height perch and pluck of the side of the tree I've seen it 3 or 4 times in person

[@CordievsWorld]

This is great! If u don't already, u should definitely consider adding ur bird videos to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Macaulay Library site ❤️🦅

[@JeremyThePlayer88]

This Cooper's Hawk has a totally different hunting strategy compared to other Cooper's Hawks, or even other Accipaters by that matter! Typically these birds follow a flight-approach. What they'll do is strike at a unexpected bird and chase it in flight! Its tough for any hawk to just run up to a squirrel, he's gotta swoop down from high on a tree and pounce on him. That's what a Red Tailed Hawk would do...but I know that's a completely different hawk! Juvenile hawks are curious about all types of prey. So when they learn what their strengths and weaknesses are, that makes them adaptable hunters!

[@remyogun8270]

Accipiters are known to hunt prey actively on foot

[@personalDM]

That´s not a Cooper´s Hawk... That´s a velociraptor!!

[@thomasvelazquez9789]

😂😅

[@BudaKhan420]

I’ve seen them interact with squirrels before too, but I’m more wondering if it was kind of playing or practicing. This hawk seem to be going about it half heartedly too. I love these guys.

[@thomasvelazquez9789]

Young hawk

[@Mikheno]

Juvenile Female Coopers Hawk "playing with" a squirrel, not hunting. If you've ever seen a Coopers in action you'll know what a hunting scene looks like. This was nothing more than practice.