predatory birds do not alway get along

[centrarchid]

Outside lab window I observed a female sharp-shinned hawk patrolling around cattle barn for sparrows. She landed in locust tree and a family of bluejays (~6) sassed her from an adjacent tree. Then the resident female American kestrel came in and did a display around with all her feathers spread out as she flew around the larger sharp-shinned. The kestrel landed about 15 feet away in same tree and continued with displaying. Then the sharp-shinned gave chase pursuing the smaller kestrel all over place in tight circles for about 30 seconds. The sharp-shinned then returned to her perch and kestrel went to tree with bluejays. Kestrel continued display at sharp-shinned as bluejays mobbed her and made short approaches towards the sharp-shinned as if mustering courage to attack it. After a couple more minutes the sharp-shinned flew away. I wish was close enough to hear sounds made between the two raptors.

 

[sourland]

Several years ago while flying my Birmingham rollers a Cooper's hawk attacked. As the pigeons were coming in the Cooper's attacked. In the ensuing panic one bluebar flew into an implement shed and bounced back to the ground. The Cooper's struck the pigeon, a goshawk struck the Cooper's, and a second Cooper's struck the goshawk. I ran over broom in hand and all hawks flew off. As I stood there looking at the "dead" pigeon who had been scheduled for the breeder loft, he slowly opened one eye as if to say "Are they gone yet?" I scooped him up, basically uninjured and carried him to the breeder loft where he produced many fine birds for me. The two Cooper's remained in the trees hoping for the return of the easy meal. All of this took place during the height of the hawk migration. On many occasions I have seen kestrels harassing larger hawks.

 

[centrarchid]

Most of the conflicts I have seen were during fall migration and sometimes interspecies in nature. Most of time one or both participants was juvenile. Seems like suicide for Coopers to mess with goshawk. Pigeons do seem work fighting over for hawks