Orinthology Query

[Aeneas]

Not sure if that is the right word. Looking for someone who knows something about birds. I have no knowledge of bird watching (of the feathered variety anyway) other than craning my neck and pointing.

Anyways we have a couple of hawks (I am only guessing they are hawks. Definetly a bird of prey, has a great calling sound) that we frequently see circling above our houses; forest very close by.

Sometimes these black birds, much smaller than the hawks will appear to chase them. Could be Blackbirds for all I know. They are almost all black but with two strips one yellow one red/orange where the wing meets body. The black birds fly above the hawk and seem to attack/land on the Hawk's back.

So my query is, what are the black birds doing? If they are attacking the hawk, why doesn't the Hawk do something about it. The hawks usually fly off to the forest, the black birds back to the marshy area by a large pond.
Are they defending territory? Are they grooming the hawk?

Just curious.

[troutman]

I know a bit about birds - and my dad knows quite a lot.

I suspect you are seeing a Red Tailed Hawk - very common in Calgary.



The black birds are probably red-winged black birds. Smaller birds often harass hawks, to keep them away from nests, or from preying on them.

[Slava]

They could also be Starlings?

[octothorp]

The birds you're talking about are definitely red-wing blackbirds. As far as what they're doing, I've seen them attack and badger hawks before, so I'm guessing that's what you're seeing. The hawks, despite being pretty good predators, don't generally seem to be that great at air-to-air combat, they can't turn and respond nearly as quickly.

[troutman]

This is a good site for calgary birders:

http://birdcomp.fanweb.ca/locations.html

They will answer questions about what you see.

This is a good checklist of birds that can normally be seen in Calgary:

http://birdcomp.fanweb.ca/docs/checklist.html

[icarus]

I've got a degree in zoology and know a little about ornithology. The answer to your question probably lies in behavioural ecology and economical use of energy: the blackbirds have a great stake in protecting their nesting territory and so are willing to use the energy required to defend it; the hawk can justify the energy expenditure to try to get at the nest but fighting back and killing the blackbirds to get at the nest would probably use up more energy than would be gained from eating the chicks. It is pretty amazing how animals maximise their energy use and consumption. Birds seem to know exactly how far to go to forage or mate without wasting energy.

And I am sure that the hawk could easily take out the blackbirds if they wanted to. Birds of prey can do some amazing things in the air. Two days ago I saw a demonstration at Taronga Zoo of a kite dipping, diving, and turning on a dime in the air to catch food with its talons and throw it up to its mouth in flight.

Check out my friend's website if you like birdwatching: http://geobirds.com/

[Aeneas]

Thanks all. Good ol' CP.

troutman: those are the birds exactly!

[FlamesAddiction]

Those red-winged black birds have a lot of spirit. They'll even dive bomb people if they don't like your presence.

[Aeneas]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

Those red-winged black birds have a lot of spirit. They'll even dive bomb people if they don't like your presence.

They seem to have no fear, you can get very close to them.
They did try to dive bomb me once...they tasted like chicken.