...hammer, it may not have been a red tail...we have so many varieties around here...the 2 mocking were playing around in the top of a young pine tree (maybe 10-12 feet tall) and the hawk just nailed one of the birds...much like a falcon would do...so I could be mistaken on exactly what kind of hawk it was but it was definitely some sort of raptor even though it was not all that big. Not sure if it was a smaller type hawk or maybe just a young one.
How much bigger than the mocking bird? doesn't sound like a red tail if it wasn't that big. could have been a falcon, and could be something else... I'd need to look up. Can you think of any marks or traits about the bird you saw?
...markings?...no, don't really remember any because it all happened so fast. We were like "holy shit"...but it was a good sized bird and at least 3 times the size of the mocking bird. And I'm sure it was not an owl because this happen during broad daylight.
I've seen a number of owls in broad daylight... the 'only come out at night' isn't exactly true... They hunt at night, but they do come out during the day
Could have been: a Cooper's Hawk: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooper's_hawk a Northern Harrier: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hen_harrier a Peregrine Falcon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peregrine_falcon a Northern Goshawk (but unlikely because it would be way out of wintering range, let alone summer): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_goshawk a Sharp-shinned Hawk (although, much smaller): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharp-shinned_hawk by comparison, a Red-tailed Hawk (one big ass bird - males up to 24", females up to 26" but they're fricken heavy which makes it harder for them to take a bird: males up to 2.9 lbs and females up to 4.4 lbs. Compare that the the Northern Goshawk which comparable in length but 1.72 lbs and 2.6 lbs male/female): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-tailed_hawk Rough-legged Hawk is about the same in size/weight of the Goshawk https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rough-legged_buzzard Ferruginous Hawk possible, but not likely: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferruginous_hawk The Red-Shouldered Hawk is a good possibility, but main diet is mammals: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-shouldered_hawk Broad-winged hawk sounds too small (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broad-winged_hawk) Swainson's Hawk is also unlikely: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swainson's_hawk Considering all of the above, my guess would be the Cooper's Hawk, but I didn't see it... my 2nd guess would be the Red-shouldered Hawk... but considering they rarely take other birds...???
...lol...yeah, hard to figure out without an actual picture of the bird we saw. ...all I know is that I had never seen another bird "explode" like that before...it was quite a hit. Maybe a falcon?
I didn't know that... I knew about something during a Mets game where someone hit the ball and it hit the bird, but didn't know about Winfield...
