Late yesterday afternoon, as clouds were building and a strong, northeast wind was cooling down the Front Range urban corridor, a red-tailed hawk and a Cooper's hawk perched in two of our taller trees. Seemingly daring each other to make the first move, the smaller Cooper's suddenly zoomed across the farm at high speed, passing near the red-tail's position.
Despite the drama, these two raptors are not natural enemies. The bulkier red-tail generally hunts from a perch, watching for rabbits, mice or voles in the grass below; once it spots the prey, the hawk dives to the ground to snare its victim. Cooper's hawks may also hunt from a perch but usually cruise close to the ground, grabbing large birds (magpies, jays, doves, flickers) before they can escape its high-speed attack.
We humans often interpret animal behavior based on our personal experience and interactions with one another. In this case, the drama was surely my own. On the other hand, if they did engage in battle, I would bet on the more agile and aggressive Cooper's hawk.
