Weird Sparrow Hawk Behaviour

[Manders]

Shes becoming a regular garden visitor as we keep parrakeets and canaries, but not sure what her plan is here. Sort of creeping up on them like a stalking cat, allmost looks like shes pretending to have a broken wing. Several minus later she gave up and just stood a few feet away from the aviary preening. Do they catch stuff by stalking?


SparrowHawk by Dr. Mark Anders, on Flickr

[The Woodman]

This is "mantling" I think. I see them doing it hedge tops whilst peering into the centre of the hedge looking for prey, it probably helps by keeping the sun out of their eyes, just as we'd shade our eyes with our hand.

They also mantle when prey is caught using this posture, probably to prevent the prey from escaping.

There are knowledgable sparrowhawk folks on WAB and I'm sure you'll get opinion from them, one'll be along in a minute.

[diggleken]

Woodmans right, it is mantling , as they do over caught prey, but this is unusual - but it is an unusual situation - I suspect its just an automatic response to being so close to prey.
Or wishful thinking.
Anyone else?
Cheers
Ken

[aeshna5]

Fascinating shot- well captured. Hope your birds weren't too stressed.

[Acipiter]

This is typical behaviour from s/hawks, when you have caged birds in a aviary. If your wire had been just a little more course, I am sure you would have seen the hawk hang on to wire, and try to reach inside to grab one of your birds. Ken is right, it is a automatic response to caged birds, I myself have seen this done before, in a friends aviary. They have also been known to creep up on foot on unsuspecting prey. I once witnessed a s/hawk creep up on young ducklings on a small farm pond and take then all one by one, coming back until the job was done. These were for his own brood in the near by wood. Its all just the way nature works

[Jonathan]

Raptors generally 'mantle' to hide food from other predators, wing-spreading also makes the bird look bigger and, therefore, more threatening. However, I've noticed accipiters (in particular) will stand with wings outspread when they've crashed into cover, having narrowly missed their quarry - it's as if they're contemplating what's just happened! I've seen goshawks, flown by falconers, with their feet down rabbit holes and wings outspread, for all the world as if they'd caught their rabbit. When picked up however, their feet are empty. I've seen wild spars crash into thick bushes, too thick for them to enter, then hang there, wings spread, for several minutes. Quite why they do this is a mystery to me unless, as Woodman suggests, it's to shade the area, making it easier for the hawk to see quarry?

Cheers
Jonathan

[Acipiter]

I believe it is to prevent its self from being pulled in, or getting to tangled up, that they spread their wings when on top of a hedge. And to achieve more purchase to pull free its prey from inside the hedge.

[Hobjob]

At a complete tangent ............

The Black Egret (Egretta ardesiaco) in southern Africa does a shading trick with its wings.

Only it does it whilst fishing to hide its presence.

[The Woodman]

By increasing it's silhouette profile?? (genuine query)

[Jim Ford]

Originally Posted by Hobjob

At a complete tangent ............

The Black Egret (Egretta ardesiaco) in southern Africa does a shading trick with its wings.

Only it does it whilst fishing to hide its presence.

I thought it did it to shade the reflection of the sky, so it could see below the surface.

Hmm, made me think! I wonder if any birds that fish have evolved eyes that polarise the light to some extent, in order to help them see their prey better? I wonder if it's been researched?

Jim